Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, eggs, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of .
Husbandry has a long history, starting with the Neolithic revolution when animals were first domesticated, from around 13,000 BC onwards, and before the first crops were grown. By the time of early civilisations such as ancient Egypt, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs were being raised on farms. Major changes took place in the Columbian Exchange when Old World livestock were brought to the New World, and then in the British Agricultural Revolution of the 18th century, when livestock breeds like the Dishley Longhorn cattle and Lincoln Longwool sheep were rapidly improved by agriculturalists such as Robert Bakewell to yield more meat, milk, and wool. A wide range of other species such as water buffalo, llama, rabbit and guinea pig are used as livestock in some parts of the world. Aquaculture of fish, molluscs, and crustaceans, and the keeping of bees and silkworms is widespread. Insects for human consumption are raised in several countries; for example, the production of crickets is a profitable industry in Thailand.