Sheepdog
Chillin' with the herd
There are a lot of words and sayings that we use in Australia which are not used anywhere else and it seems to be even more prevelant in the agricultural industry.... here are just a few that come to mind...........
We say mob.... of sheep or cattle.... (herd).
A beast is a generic term for a cow.... a cow is a female. We also say steer, bullock older steer) bull and heifer... but a beast is used more in the terms of.... say at a cutting horse competition or stock horse competition... one would cut a beast out of the mob.
Muster sheep or cattle, is to gather sheep or cattle. You might be out mustering... or you might have a big muster coming up.
A crush... is a squeeze chute.
Head bail... usually at the front of the crush... not sure what you guys call it... head gate???
Cattle race.... the chute leading up to a crush or a cattle ramp to go onto a truck.
Draft.... to draft cattle.... to sort cattle
Drafting yard .... sorting pen
Long Yard ... a large yard or trap which is usually connected to cattle yards (pens)
Cattle yards or stock yards ... corral
Stock route ..Travelling Stock Route (TSR) is an authorised thoroughfare for the walking of domestic livestock such as sheep or cattle from one location to another. The TSRs are known collectively as "The Long Paddock". A Travelling Stock Route may be easily distinguished from an ordinary country road by the fact that the grassy verges on either side of the road are very much wider, and the property fences being set back much further from the roadside than is usual. The reason for this is so that the livestock may feed on the vegetation that grows on the verges as they travel. By law, the travelling stock must travel "six miles a day" (approximately 10 kilometres per day). This is to avoid all the roadside grass from being cleared in a particular area by an individual mob. Bores, equipped with windmills and troughs, may also be located at regular intervals to provide water in regions where there are no other reliable water sources. A Travelling Stock Reserve is a fenced paddock set aside at strategic distances to allow overnight watering and camping of stock.
Drover/Droving -A drover in Australia is a person, typically an experienced stockman, who moves livestock, usually sheep or cattle, "on the hoof" over long distances. Reasons for droving may include: delivering animals to a new owner's property, taking animals to market, or moving animals during a drought in search of better feed and/or water. Moving a small mob of quiet cattle is relatively easy, but moving several hundred head of wild station cattle over long distances is a completely different matter. (Not as common as it once was, you can still see drovers along some of the roads in Australia)
Stockman .... is a person who looks after the livestock on a station, may also be employed at a feedlot, on a livestock export ship, or with a stock and station agency.
Grazier.....usually the station owner.
Ringer........ is a stockman who work with cattle in the Top End (Northern Australian Outback) often only employed for the dry season which lasts from April to October.
Station hand...... employee, who is involved in routine duties on a rural property or station and this may also involve caring for livestock, too. Usually a jack of all trades, they work on the machinery too.
Jackaroo - young male stockperson... usually training to be a stockman/woman
Jillaroo- female stockperson... usually training to be a stockman/woman
A cleanskin is an unbranded beast
a maverick or a slick (I've heard them called both here)
A mickey or mickey bull is a young uncastrated bull (usually a cleanskin)
A weaner is a weaned calf... I think you call yearlings.
A colt is a male foal... a filly is a female foal.... we distinguish the difference, here all foals and young horses are usually called colts.
We feed lucerne and not alfalfa... though I do believe alfalfa is the correct name
We have an offside(right) and a nearside(left) on a horse - which is probably a British term
We say chestnut and not sorrel - probably another British term
Paddocks are pastures, but usually much bigger.
Stations are ranches
Homestead - the main house on the station
Cattle runs are cattle stations
Bush.... the country.... woods.
Chook .... chicken
Chook house ... chicken coop
Catching rope.... lariat
Scrub ... brush
Scrubbers.... wild cattle
Shed.... barn or shop
Dam... pond (a pond in Australia is where you keep gold fish in your garden)... a dam can be a huge dam with a resovoir to provide drinking water to a major city, or a small man made water catchment area for stock...
Turkey Nest.... a small earth dam adjacent to, and higher than, a larger earth dam, to feed water by gravity to a cattle trough, etc.
Bush Turkey, Plains Turkey, Scrub Turkey.... a wild bird which is rarely eaten and doesn't look anything like the turkeys found in the USA
Swag... bed roll
Ute... small pickup
Track .... trail
Tucker .... food
Tucker box.... lunch box or container
Billy.... can used for boiling water on the fire for hot tea
Hoorang... unruly, often unbroke ornery horse
There are heaps (a bunch) of others that I just can't think of at the moment.
We say mob.... of sheep or cattle.... (herd).
A beast is a generic term for a cow.... a cow is a female. We also say steer, bullock older steer) bull and heifer... but a beast is used more in the terms of.... say at a cutting horse competition or stock horse competition... one would cut a beast out of the mob.
Muster sheep or cattle, is to gather sheep or cattle. You might be out mustering... or you might have a big muster coming up.
A crush... is a squeeze chute.
Head bail... usually at the front of the crush... not sure what you guys call it... head gate???
Cattle race.... the chute leading up to a crush or a cattle ramp to go onto a truck.
Draft.... to draft cattle.... to sort cattle
Drafting yard .... sorting pen
Long Yard ... a large yard or trap which is usually connected to cattle yards (pens)
Cattle yards or stock yards ... corral
Stock route ..Travelling Stock Route (TSR) is an authorised thoroughfare for the walking of domestic livestock such as sheep or cattle from one location to another. The TSRs are known collectively as "The Long Paddock". A Travelling Stock Route may be easily distinguished from an ordinary country road by the fact that the grassy verges on either side of the road are very much wider, and the property fences being set back much further from the roadside than is usual. The reason for this is so that the livestock may feed on the vegetation that grows on the verges as they travel. By law, the travelling stock must travel "six miles a day" (approximately 10 kilometres per day). This is to avoid all the roadside grass from being cleared in a particular area by an individual mob. Bores, equipped with windmills and troughs, may also be located at regular intervals to provide water in regions where there are no other reliable water sources. A Travelling Stock Reserve is a fenced paddock set aside at strategic distances to allow overnight watering and camping of stock.
Drover/Droving -A drover in Australia is a person, typically an experienced stockman, who moves livestock, usually sheep or cattle, "on the hoof" over long distances. Reasons for droving may include: delivering animals to a new owner's property, taking animals to market, or moving animals during a drought in search of better feed and/or water. Moving a small mob of quiet cattle is relatively easy, but moving several hundred head of wild station cattle over long distances is a completely different matter. (Not as common as it once was, you can still see drovers along some of the roads in Australia)
Stockman .... is a person who looks after the livestock on a station, may also be employed at a feedlot, on a livestock export ship, or with a stock and station agency.
Grazier.....usually the station owner.
Ringer........ is a stockman who work with cattle in the Top End (Northern Australian Outback) often only employed for the dry season which lasts from April to October.
Station hand...... employee, who is involved in routine duties on a rural property or station and this may also involve caring for livestock, too. Usually a jack of all trades, they work on the machinery too.
Jackaroo - young male stockperson... usually training to be a stockman/woman
Jillaroo- female stockperson... usually training to be a stockman/woman
A cleanskin is an unbranded beast
a maverick or a slick (I've heard them called both here)A mickey or mickey bull is a young uncastrated bull (usually a cleanskin)
A weaner is a weaned calf... I think you call yearlings.
A colt is a male foal... a filly is a female foal.... we distinguish the difference, here all foals and young horses are usually called colts.
We feed lucerne and not alfalfa... though I do believe alfalfa is the correct name
We have an offside(right) and a nearside(left) on a horse - which is probably a British term
We say chestnut and not sorrel - probably another British term
Paddocks are pastures, but usually much bigger.
Stations are ranches
Homestead - the main house on the station
Cattle runs are cattle stations
Bush.... the country.... woods.
Chook .... chicken
Chook house ... chicken coop
Catching rope.... lariat
Scrub ... brush
Scrubbers.... wild cattle
Shed.... barn or shop
Dam... pond (a pond in Australia is where you keep gold fish in your garden)... a dam can be a huge dam with a resovoir to provide drinking water to a major city, or a small man made water catchment area for stock...
Turkey Nest.... a small earth dam adjacent to, and higher than, a larger earth dam, to feed water by gravity to a cattle trough, etc.
Bush Turkey, Plains Turkey, Scrub Turkey.... a wild bird which is rarely eaten and doesn't look anything like the turkeys found in the USA
Swag... bed roll
Ute... small pickup
Track .... trail
Tucker .... food
Tucker box.... lunch box or container
Billy.... can used for boiling water on the fire for hot tea
Hoorang... unruly, often unbroke ornery horse
There are heaps (a bunch) of others that I just can't think of at the moment.
Travel is one thing, having to get used to a whole new place and settling down is a complete other!
