Matching Livestock Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sheep

The Herdwick breed of sheep originates from the Lake District, located in Cumbria in England's north west. It's a breed which has been around for centuries with the name appearing as far back as the sixth century and originating from the Viking era.

This hardy sheep can withstand the severe weather of northern England and is used for both meat and wool, although the wool it produces is coarser than that of other breeds.

Answer: Goat

This breed of goat was created in the UK in the nineteenth century by the cross breeding of imported goats from north Africa and the Middle East with the breeds native to Britain. Many of the imported goats had been kept on ships to provide meat and milk during the voyage before being sold.

The Nubian, or Anglo-Nubian as it is sometimes called, is a large breed with long ears, which usually hang down. It is raised as a dual purpose goat to sell for meat or for milk production. Nubians produce a rich milk, with a higher percentage of fat than other breeds.

Answer: Chicken

Previously known as the American Sebright, this chicken breed was renamed after a Native American tribe in 1883. As the name tells you, it was developed in the USA and originated in the 1870s. It was first produced with a mixture of black feathers covered with a lacy pattern of silvery white feathers, giving this variety the name of silver-laced. Other colours are now available, particularly for showing.

The Wyandotte is kept for both meat and eggs, with the large brown eggs the females lay being particularly popular.

Answer: Pig

The British saddleback is a breed of pig named for its distinctive markings. It is predominantly black but has a pink stripe around its body and including its front legs. It is a relatively recent breed, created in the UK in the 1960s by breeding two other types of saddleback pigs together.

The saddleback is bred to provide meat and is used for both bacon and pork. Sows are able to produce as many as fourteen piglets in one litter, although not all survive due to the risk of crushing.

Answer: Duck

The Cayuga is a duck breed which originated in the USA, in the state of New York, and deriving its name from a Native American tribe of the area. It has black plumage with green feathers providing an iridescent finish.

Historically, the breed was used for meat during the nineteenth century, particularly in the USA. More recently, it is also kept to produce eggs but more commonly it is raised for ornamental purposes in the twenty-first century.

Answer: Horse

The Percheron is a heavy horse breed which originated in France. The horses are also called draught horses or cart horses and were originally used for heavy farm work like pulling ploughs. The Percheron may have arrived in Britain during the Norman conquest of the eleventh century, when it was probably used as a war horse.

Percherons were among the horses used to pull carriages before motorised vehicles became widely available. In modern times, it is still possible to find Percherons on farms although they are more likely to be kept for show than for heavy duty work.

Answer: Turkey

This is a British breed of turkey, which arrived from the New World when brought to Europe by Spanish conquistadors. They arrived in England in the first half of the sixteenth century and were selectively bred to have black feathers. The main region for farming them was East Anglia, which includes the county of Norfolk from which their most common name derives.

Turkeys are farmed primarily for their meat and have become the main choice for Christmas meals in the UK.

Answer: Donkey

Also called the Baudet du Poitou, the Poitou is a French breed of donkey which has a distinctive shaggy coat. It is a large breed and was selectively bred for strength, for heavy work and to produce well built mules. The breed is long established, possibly bred from donkeys brought in by the Romans, but certainly well known in the Middle Ages.

The donkeys are sometimes still used for agricultural work, but more often for riding or driving. With the need for mules reducing, the Poitou is classed as endangered in the twenty-first century, although conservation efforts are being made.

Answer: Cattle

The Limousin is a French breed of cattle which is reared mainly for beef. At one time it was used for draught purposes, pulling ploughs and the like as oxen, but mechanisation has made this redundant.

The name comes from the region in central France, with the cattle exported to other countries in the 1960s and 1970s. In France the breed came close to dying out after the Second World War but is now, in the twenty-first century, the second most popular breed in France after the Charolais. Herds of Limousin now thrive in over eighty countries around the world.

Answer: Goose

Steinbacher geese were bred in Germany in the early years of the twentieth century. They have a distinctive orange beak, with a black tip, and were nicknamed the 'fighting geese' in their home country.

Steinbachers are bred for both eggs and meat, and can also be kept for showing. Their colours range from blue and grey to buff, cream and white.