344 LIVE-STOCK RULES AND RECORDS 



Other Characteristics 

 Average temperature of farm animals. 



Horse, 100° F. ; ox, 101° to 102.5° ; sheep and swine, 103° ; dog, 

 102.5° and very changeable. It is lowest about 4 a.m., and highest 

 at 6 P.M. The liver, of all the organs, has the highest temperature, 

 106.2° F. Poultry 105° to 106°. 



The pulse of farm animals (Harger). 



The pulse is a dilatation of the elastic wall of an artery at the moment 

 of the heart-beat. Its character is some indication of the state of health. 

 It is felt in the horse on the lower jaw-bone ; in the ox on the jaw, the 

 inside of the elbow and cannon, and the base of the tail ; in the dog 

 on the inside of the thigh. 



Number of pulse-beats per minute : Horse, 36 to 40 ; ox, 45 to 50 ; 

 sheep and pig, 70 to 80 ; dog, 90 to 100 ; camel, 28 to 32 ; elephant, 

 25 to 28. It is slower in the male than in the female. It is more rapid 

 in the young than in the old, as for example, in the foal, 100 to 120 ; 

 in the calf, 90 to 130. The daily work of the heart is estimated at 

 1,539,000 foot-pounds, or one- third of a horse-power. 



Period of heat in farm animals (Mumford). 



The beginning of puberty in the female is characterized by the 

 ripening of a mature egg, and external symptoms which together are 

 called the period of heat, or, in some wild animals, the rutting season. 

 This period is accompanied by various manifestations. The external 

 genitals become swollen and red, and this is accompanied by the dis- 

 charge of a reddish mucus. There is frequent urination, and some- 

 times a swelling of the mammary glands. The female is often restless 

 and utters loud cries. 



The duration of heat varies, but normally continues in the mare two 

 to three days, in the cow twelve to twenty-four hours, in the sow one 

 to three days, and in the ewe two to three days. The frequency 

 with which the heat recurs in different animals varies within rather 

 narrow limits. The period of heat in the mare recurs rather irregu- 

 larly, but most stallioners agree tliat the mare will come in heat nine 



