stoka

Stoka is a term used in several South Slavic languages, including Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian, to denote livestock—domestic animals kept on farms for agricultural purposes. The category typically includes cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and horses, though the exact composition varies by region and farm. As a collective noun, stoka can refer to the animals on a single farm or to livestock in general and is commonly used in farming, veterinary, and regulatory contexts.

In agricultural economies, stoka is central to meat, dairy, and labor production. Farm management practices focus on breeding, feeding, housing, disease surveillance, vaccination, and welfare standards. The health and productivity of stoka influence farm profitability and regional food supply. Transportation and sale of livestock are often governed by national and regional regulations detailing tagging, transport conditions, and humane handling.

Etymology and cognates: stoka derives from Proto-Slavic roots related to stock or herd; cognate forms appear across South Slavic languages with similar meanings. The term remains widely used in rural and agricultural discourse and is less common in urban speech.