Definition

Adjective: - Capable of producing eggs and bearing offspring: Describes a female animal, typically livestock or poultry, that is of an age and condition where she can lay eggs and give birth to young.

Usage

This term is primarily used in agricultural, zoological, and biological contexts to describe the reproductive status of female animals. It is a compound adjective, often hyphenated.

Examples

• The farmer separated the young-bearing hens from the older ones to optimize egg production.
• A key factor in the herd's sustainability is maintaining a high percentage of young-bearing cows.
• The study focused on the nutritional needs of young-bearing ewes during pregnancy.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in technical writing, farm management plans, and veterinary science to specify a productive segment of a breeding population.
• It can imply not just the biological capability but also the current economic or practical role of the animal within a managed system.

Variants and Related Words

• Breeding (adj): Used for animals kept for the purpose of producing offspring. (e.g., a breeding sow)
• Brood (v/n): To sit on eggs to hatch them; a family of young animals.
• Fecund (adj): Capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile. (More formal and broad)
• Prolific (adj): Producing much fruit or foliage or many offspring. (Often emphasizes high output)

Synonyms

• Broody (adj): (Of a hen) wishing to sit on eggs. (More specific to the instinct, not the general capability)
• Fertile (adj): Able to conceive young or produce seed.
• Productive (adj): Yielding or producing abundantly, especially in farming contexts.

Antonyms

• Barren (adj): Incapable of producing offspring.
• Infertile (adj): Not able to have children or young; not fertile.
• Spent (adj): (Of an animal, especially a hen) no longer producing eggs efficiently.

Adjective

1. capable of producing eggs and bearing offspring