Animal husbandry

Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding[?] and raising livestock. As such, it is a vital skill for farmers, and taught in many universities and colleges particularly in rural areas.

It is one of the oldest world professions. It is also mentioned in the Bible as the first task given by God to Adam: to name and care for the Garden of Eden and the animals (Genesis 2:19-20).

Historically, certain sub-professions within the field of Animal Husbandry are specifically named according to the animals which are cared for.

A swineherd is a person who cares for hogs and pigs (older english term: swine). A shepherd is a person who cares for sheep. A goatherd cares for goats. In previous years, it was common to have herds which were made up of sheep and goats. In this case, the person tending them was called a shepherd. King David of Israel was a shepherd before he was anointed to be king.

In more modern times, cowboys (or in Spanish: caballeros[?]) rode horses and participated in cattle drives to watch over cows and bulls raised primarily for food.

See also: cuniculture, aquaculture