BREEDS OF CATTLE DEFINITION OF A BREED A Breed is a stock of animals or plants within a species having distinctive appearance. It is developed by deliberate selection, It helps in propagating the members sexually and under controlled conditions. It is a group of domesticated animals descended from common ancestor and having similar characters. Breeds are formed either as natural adaptation to the environment or by selective breeding or by the combination of the two. When bred together individuals of the same breed pass on these predictable traits to their offspring. This ability is known as breeding true. The offspring produced as a result of breeding animals of one breed with animals of another breed are known as cross breeds. CLASSIFICATION OF INDIAN CATTLE BREED: (a)Milch Breeds/Milk Breeds: cows are good milk yielders. Males are poor workers. Milk production is more than 1600 kg per lactation. Eg., Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Gir and Deoni (b) Dual Purpose Breeds: Cows are average milk yielders. Males are good workers. Milk production per lactation is 500kg to 1500kg. eg., Kankrej, Tharparker, Krishna valley. (c) Draught Breeds: Males are Good Workers. Cows are poor milk yielders. Milk yield is less than 500kg per lactation. A pair of bullocks can haul 1000kg. Net with an iron typed cart on a good road at a walking speed of 5 to 7 km per hour. They cover a distance of 30 - 40 km per day. INDIGENOUS DAIRY BREEDS OF CATTLE: (A) MILCH BREEDS: 1. Gir: Originated in Gir forests of Gujarat. Peculiarly curved horns give a half moon appearance to the head. Good milk yielder. The colour of the skin is white with dark red or chocolate-brown patches. Milk ranges from 1200-1800kgs per lactation. 2. Red Sindhi: Found in Karachi and Hyderabad district of Pakistan. Colour is red with shades varying from dark red to light, strips of white. Widely used in cross breeding programmes. Milk ranges from 1100-2600kgs. Age at first calving is 39-50 months and intercalving period from 425-540 days. 3. Sahiwal: Originated in Montegmory of Pakistan. 4. Origin is Marathwada district of Maharashtra. Cross breed of Gir, Danghi and other local breeds. B. INDIGENOUS CATTLE BRED WITHSTANDING DROUGHT: 1.Hallikar: Origin is Vijayanagaram dynasty of Karnataka. Prominent forehead, grey to dark skin with closely arranged looped horns, 2. Amritmahal: Origin is Chikmangalur, Hasan and Chitradurga of Karnataka. Grey cattle with long Horns which end in sharp black points. 3. Kangayam: Red colour coat at birth but changes to grey at the age of six months. 4. Umbulacheri: Red or brown at birth with white marking on the face, limbs and tail. Practice of dehorning is peculiar. 5. Bargur: Brown colour with white marks, well built, compact and medium sized animals. 6. Pulikulam /Alambadi: Seen in Salem and Coimbatore, and part of Karnataka. They have typical backward curving horns of Mysore cattle. C. DUAL PURPOSE INDIAN BREEDS OF CATTLE 1. Hariana: Originated from Rohtak, Hisar and Gurgaon of Haryana. Horns are small. 2. Tharparker: White or light grey colour. 3. Kankrej: Peculiar gain called as 1 ¼ paces. 4. Krishna Valley: Originated from water shed of Krishna river. Tail touches the ground. Large massive frame with loosely built short body. 5. Ongole / Nellore: A smart and sturdy animal with raised head, short horns, blinking eyes and attractive face. D.EX0TIC DAIRY BREEDS OF CATTLE: 1. Holstein Friesian: Developed in Friesland Province of Netherlands. Ruggedly built body with Black and white markings and large udder. Largest dairy breeed. 2. Jersey: Smallest dairy type developed in Jersey of U.K . Used in Cross Breeding with indigenous cows. Compact, angular body with dished forehead. 3. Red Dane: Heavy Reddish Danish Breed. 4. Brown Swiss: Famous in its home tract for its rugged nature. Used in Cross Breeding. 5. Guernsey: Golden Colour milk due high content of Beta Carotene. Low incidence of calving difficulty and longevity. 6. Aryshire: Most beautiful dairy breed, very active animals, but hard to manage. E. INDIGENOUS BUFFALO BREEDS 1. Surti: Two white collars, one round the jaw and the other at the brisket is peculiar to this breed, with long flat sickle shaped horns. 2. Murrah: Jet black coloured body with white markings on tail, face and extremities. 3. Jaffrabadi: Heavy horns inclined to droop at each side of the neck and then turning up at point. Maintained by Maldharis ( Traditional breeders) 4. Nilli Ravi: Found in Sutlej Valley of Punjab. Flat eyes, White feet, Long Tail, long neck well developed udder and elevated head 5. Bhadawari: Copper coloured body, two white lines names chevron lines at the lower side of the neck. High butter fat content in milk. 6. Mehsana: Evolved due to the cross breed between Surti and Murrah. 7. Toda: Named after an ancient tribe, Toda of Nilgiris with thick hair coat all over the body .They are gregarious in nature. 8. Nagpuri: Black coloured animals with white patches on face, legs and tail. Horns are long, flat and curved bending backward on each side of the back. .