Dictionary Page C

CAFO

An acronym for Confined Animal Feeding Operation, a CAFO is also referred to as a factory farm. The list of qualifications to be considered a CAFO is too lengthy to list here but can be found by viewing the bulleted list on the following page: Life Down on the Factory Farm. [52] [ Factory Farm ]

Calf Roping (on foot)

In this event a contestant stands in an area beside a holding chute. When a calf is released from the chute the contestant throws their lasso around the calf’s neck. When the slack is removed from the rope (usually because the calf continues to run) the roper releases his end and the time is recorded. The quickest time wins. This is usually an entry level roping event to teach skills needed when the contestants progress to roping from horseback. [63] [ Rodeo ]

Candy

This is a mixture of grains used as an enticement to get a pigeon to enter a trap. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Capsule

This is a device that holds the countermark (bird identification, leg band) so that it may be inserted into the clock to record the race time of each pigeon. Some clocks do not use a capsule. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Carrying Crate

A box designed to transport pigeons and to release them for training or a race. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Cere

This is the area around a pigeon’s eye that is not feathered where the skin can be seen. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Check

A animal which requires the purchase of a permit to hunt must be also “checked” once it is killed. This is to verify among other things that the hunter followed the limitations on the issued permit (only to kill a female, male etc.). It also provides the state with a number of animals killed for each regulated species. Demographics of the animals killed and future expectations for population size as well as available number of permits next year can be reasonably determined from these mandatory checks. [ Hunting ]

Checker

A pigeon displaying a “checkered” pattern on her wing. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Chute Dogging

In this rodeo event the (human) participant begins in the starting chute of a rodeo arena holding on to a steer’s horns. When the event begins the contestant must wrestle the steer across a line ten feet away within sixty seconds. After doing this the steer must be wrestled or “dogged” to the ground. This is done by turning the steer’s head up and over his shoulder creating enough force through the vertebrae to make him fall to the ground. When all of the steer’s legs are facing the same direction as his head was forced, the timer is stopped. The “cowboy” with the fastest time wins. One rodeo association has this to say about “dogging” steers, “Many a steer . . . is so muscular that you could turn his head completely around once and he still would not fall over.” [60] [ Rodeo ]

Circling

If a pigeon is flying, in a circular fashion, around the loft in which she is kept it is called circling. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Clock

An apparatus designed to record the flight time of each pigeon once they finish the race. The time is recorded to the second. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Clock Opening

This is the area where the post race times and speeds are determined to find the winner. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Cock

Male pigeon. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Combine

The type of event where more than one club competes in a “coordinated” race. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Companion Animal

This is simply a term to reclassify those who were originally considered “pets.” To call another sentient being a “pet” is to reduce it to a mere thing - to an object named after an activity; petting. Just as a hunter may say, “look at my kill” when referring to a animal that has recently been shot, humans reduce the animals they live with to mere results of an action. The animal rights position realizes that such denigration is not only unnecessary, but inaccurate. Because we share our lives and experiences together both humans and animals are companions. Our companions are also sometimes referred to as co-habitants. [ Companion Animal ]

Concourse

A race structured closely to that of a combine but larger in size. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Contest Hunt

A hunt such as this is a type of game hunters play. Contestants have a specified length of time to kill as many animals of a particular species as possible. Participants are required to cut off a particular body part from the animals they kill and produce it as evidence (such as the ears or tails of coyotes). [56] This is so a particular contestant cannot lie about killing an animal in order to win the contest. The winner is the person who kills the most animals, and prizes are often given. Contest hunts often involve the killing of coyotes, crows, and prairie dogs to name a few. [ Hunting ]

Conveyor

This is the person who transports the pigeons to the location where they are to be released prior to the start of a race. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Countermark

This a band placed on a pigeon’s leg containing an identification number so that the band can be removed and the time recorded post race. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Crooked Keel

A breast bone that is abnormal in shape (crooked). [66] [ Pigeon ]

Cull

There are two uses of this term. If a pigeon is unwanted it is referred to as a cull. Similarly, to kill unwanted or non-desirable birds is to “cull” them. [66] [ Pigeon ]

Cutting

Cutting is the practice of separating one cow from a herd. A competitor is given two and a half minutes to separate, or cut, as many cows from the herd as is possible. The rider walks their horse into the herd and selects a cow to cut. Once a cow is selected the rider allows the reins to go loose and holds on by the saddle horn. The horse must stop the selected cow from rejoining the herd. A rider may signal the horse to quit cutting a particular cow and select a different cow at any time. Each contestant is judged by a panel and awarded 60 to 80 points by every judge. The highest and lowest scores are eliminated and the remaining three (middle scores) are added to arrive at each contestant’s final score. [37] The highest score wins. [ Equine, Rodeo ]

Cutting Pen

This is the environment in which the activity of “cutting” is performed. A cutting pen can be either a place where horses are trained to cut or the actual arena in which they perform. Usually, it is a large fenced in area so that it can accommodate a horse and rider as well as the cows that the horse will be cutting from the herd. For info on what the practice of cutting is please view “Cutting.” [ Equine, Rodeo ]

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Posted/Updated: 7/09/04