A unit represented by one mature cow or horse, or by as many animals as consume an equivalent amount of feed, such as 7 sheep.
A unit of measurement of livestock, the equivalent of one mature cow weighing 1,000 pounds. The measure is used in making comparisons of feed consumption and grazing.
One mature, dry cow (1000 lb/450 kg) or equivalent, based on forage requirement for maintenance of 18-20 lb (8-9 kg) dry matter per day. Varies some with forage quality and stage of pregnancy. Compare Livestock Unit Related terms: animal day
A way of measuring cattle and livestock.An animal unit relies on a mature cow as the basis of measurement, so one animal unit equals roughly the live weight of one cow (1000 pounds).
(AU) — One mature cow weighing 454 kg or the equivalent. For instance, a dairy cow is 1.4 AU because it weighs almost 1.5 times a mature beef cow. The animal units of smaller animals than beef cows is less than one: pigs = 0.4 AU and chickens = 0.033 AU.
AU) Considered to be one mature cow of approximately 450kg, either dry or with calf up to 6 months of age, or their equivalent, based on a standardised amount of forage consumed. c.f. DSE
A unit of measure developed to compare differences in the amount of manure produced by species. One animal unit is standardized as the amount of manure produced on a regular basis by a slaughter steer or heifer.
A forage consuming unit equal to the consumption of a mature cow; also defined as 12 kg (26 . 4 lbs) forage per day in animal demand (Scarnecchia and Kothman 1981).
A unit of measure for rangeland livestock equivalent to the land required to support one mature cow or five sheep or five goats, all over 6 months of age. An animal unit is based on average daily forage consumption of 26 pounds of dry matter per day.
a reflection of the amount of feed that a particular animal class will consume
The term animal unit means a unit of measurement for any animal feeding operation calculated by adding the following numbers: the number of slaughter and feeder cattle multiplied by 1.0, plus the number of mature dairy cattle multiplied by 1.4, plus the number of swine weighing over 25 kilograms (approximately 55 pounds) multiplied by 0.4, plus the number of sheep multiplied by 0.1, plus the number of horses multiplied by 2.0.
Common denominator for measuring animal feed requirements where one animal unit is equivalent to the feed requirement for a 1,000-lb mature beef cow.
A standardized measure to understand the needs of different kinds of livestock in relation to forage resources. A mature cow of about 1000 pounds (455 kg.) is the standard unit, and the feed needed is equal to one horse, one mule, five sheep, five swine, five goats, or eight geese.
A measure of numbers of livestock equivalent to a mature cow. One A.U. equals 1,000 pounds live weight, or one cow, horse, or mule; five sheep or swine; six goats.
A 1,000 lb. (450 kg) beef cow with or without a nursing calf and having a daily requirement of 26 lbs. (11.8 kg) of dry matter forage.
Considered to be one mature cow (1000 lb, 455kg) either dry or with a calf up to 6 months of age, with an average daily forage consumption of 15 kg of dry matter. Livestock which consume more or less forage than the standard animal unit, because of kind, class, or size are rated on an animal unit equivalent (e.g. 1300 lb cow = 1.3 AU; 1 sheep = 0.1 AU)
An animal unit is defined as an animal with a mass of 450 kg.
A standard measure, based on feed requirements, used to combine various classes of livestock according to size, weight, age, and use. For federal lands, an animal unit represents one mature cow, bull, steer, heifer, horse, mule, or five sheep, or five goats, all over six months of age.