ZOB:401; Economic Zoology

Dairy…
- Introduction to common dairy animals

Developed by ..
Dr. Ganesh K Maurya
Asst. Prof. Zoology
MMV, BHU
Cattle : -
- large ruminant animals with horns and cloven hoofs, domesticated for meat
or milk, or as beasts of burden.
2 Major cattle used in dairy are COW and BUFFALO

Cow (Bos taurus) Buffalo

External Morphology of a dairy cattle
 External Morphology of a dairy cattle
1. Horn : Generally black in young age and yellowish black in old age. In some breeds they are pinkish
yellow. The rings are present on horn. (A) Tip of the horn (B) Base of the horn.
2. Head crest : The portion between the bases of horns.
3. Poll : It is the bulging portion situated at the middle top centre of the forehead.
4. Cheeks : Lateral portion of the face below the eyes on both the side.
5. Chin : Portion below the lower lip. It is fleshy and pink in colour.
6. Muzzle : The projecting part of the head including the mouth, nose and jaws.
7. Muffle : Fleshy bare part of the upper lip and nose. Generally it is black. In some breeds it may be
pinkish or spotted. It is wet with droplets of water in healthy animals. It has specified line and marking
into muzzle print.
8. Neck crest : It is the upper portion of the neck between head crest and hump/points of withers. It is
the portion where yoke is placed in bullocks.
9. Dewlap : A hanging loose, wavy fold of skin between chin and brisket. It is more developed in tropical
breeds of cattle and helps in heat dissipation. European cattle possess less developed dewlap.
10. Brisket : A fleshy bulging mass between and in front of the fore limbs.
11. Hump : The bulging fleshy mass between neck crest and back.
12. Loins : The triangle formed by joining the head of last ribs to the two hook bone.
13. Sacrum : Portion from middle point of two hook bone and ending near the croup or root of tail.
14. Rump : Sloppy/encircling portion on either side of the croup between the hook bone and pin bone.
15. Hook-bone : It is the prominent bone on either side of the root of tail (tuber ischii).
16. Pin bone : It is also the prominent bone on either side of the root of tail (tuber ischii).
17. Tail : A distinct flexible appendage extending from the rear end of the animal’s body.
18. Heart girth : The circular measurement around chest.
19. Ribs : Thirteen pairs.
20. Crop – part of body in which stomach is present where food gets collected.
21. Udder : Structure containing mammary glands of cows. It has four quarters each having one
separate teat. Degree of development of udder generally shows the capacity for production
of milk. The teats are well placed at equal distance, shows even development of udder.
22. Legs and Feet – They are part of skeletal system and support mobility of the animal. The
width between the hind legs must provide adequate space for a large udder.
23. Hoof : It has two digits, black in colour in case of cow and buffaloes. The space between the
two digits is known as interdigital space.
24. Coronet : Hairy streak just above the hoof.
25. Dewclaw : Rudimentary hoof, two in number on each leg
 BREEDS OF COW
• Milch Breeds • Dual Purpose Breeds
(Used for Milk) (Used for both Milk & Meat)
1) Gir 1) Hariana
2)Sahiwal 2) Ongole
3)Red Sindhi 3) Kankrej
4) Tharparker 4) Deoni
5) Nimari
6) Dangi
7) Mewati
8) Rathi
 Drought purpose Breeds
- Cows of draught breeds are poor milkers but the bullocks are excellent draught
animals (meant for pulling carts and ploughing fields).

1) Hallikar 6) Kangayam
2) Amritmahal 7) Kherigarh
3) Khillari 8) Siri
4) Bargur 9) Red Kandhari
5) Umblachery 10) Vechur
Milch Breeds
1. Gir
This breed is otherwise known as
Desan, Gujarati, Kathiawari,
Sorthi, and Surati.
• Originated in Gir forests of
South Kathiawar in Gujarat.
• Basic colours of skin are white
with dark red or chocolate-brown
patches or sometimes black or
purely red.
• Horns are peculiarly curved,
giving a ‘half moon’ appearance.
• Milk yield ranges from 1200-
1800 kgs per lactation.
• Age at first calving 45-54 months
and inter calving period from 515
to 600 days.
2. Sahiwal

• Originated in Montgomery
district in present Pakistan.
• This breed otherwise known as
Lola (loose skin), Lambi Bar,
Montgomery, Multani.
• The colour is reddish dun or pale
red, sometimes flashed with
white patches.
• The average milk yield of this
breed is between 2,725 and
3,175 kgs in lactation period of
300 days.
3. Red Sindhi
• This breed is otherwise called
as Red Karachi and Sindhi.
• This breed mostly found in
Karachi and Hyderabad
district of Pakistan.
• Colour is red with shades
varying from dark red to
light, strips of white.
• Milk yield ranges from 1100-
2600 kgs.
• Widely used in crossbreeding
programmes.
• Age at first calving 39-50
months and inter calving
period from 425-540 days.
 4. Tharparkar
• Originated in Tharparkar district of
southeast Sind in Pakistan.
• Otherwise known as White
Sindhi, Gray Sindhi and Thari.
• Body colour is white or light
grey.
• The bullocks are quite suitable for
ploughing and casting and the cows
are good milch animals (1,800 –
2600 kgs).
• Age at first calving ranges from 38-
42 months and inter calving period
from 430 to 460 days.
Dual purpose breeds
1. Hariana
• It was originated from Rohtak,
Hisar, Jind and Gurgaon
districts of Haryana.
• Horns are small.
• The bullocks are good workers.
• Hariana cows are good milkers
yielding on an average 1.5
kg/cow/day in a lactation
period of 300 days.
• Average milk yield is 600 to 800
kgs per lactation. The age at
first calving is 40-60 months.
 2. Ongole
• Otherwise known as
Nellore.
• Home tract is Ongole taluk in
Gantur district of Andhra Pradesh.
• Large heavy muscular body.
• Forehead is broad with stumpy
horn thick at base
• Hump is well developed
• Average milk yield is 1000 kgs.
Age at first calving is 38-45
months with an intercalving
period of 470 days.
 3. Kankrej
• It is otherwise called as Wadad
or Waged, Wadhiar.
• Originated from Southeast
Rann of Kutch of Gujarat and
adjoining Rajasthan (Barmer
and Jodhpur district).
• Colour of the animal varies from
silver-grey to iron-grey or steel
black.
• The gait of Kankrej is peculiar
called as 1 ¼ paces (sawai chal).
• Kankrej is valued for fast,
powerful, draught cattle. Useful in
ploughing and carting.
• The cows are good milkers,
yielding about 1360 kgs.
 4. DANGI
• The breeding tract of Dangi is
Nasik, Ahmednagar districts of
Maharashtra.
• Dangi breed is also known as
“Kandadi”. Dangi cattle are
extensively used for ploughing,
harrowing and other field
operations, and for carting timber
from forest area.
• Dangi cattle have distinct white coat
colour with red or black spots
distributed unevenly over the body.
• Horns are short and thick with lateral
pointing tips.
• The head is usually small with a
slightly protruding forehead.
• Average milk yield per lactation is 430
kilo grams with an average milk fat of
4.3%. The lactation milk yield ranges
from 175 to 800 kg.
 5. Deoni
• This breed otherwise known as
Dongerpati, Dongari, Wannera,
Waghyd, Balankya, Shevera.
• Originated in Marathwada region
of Maharashtra state and
adjoining part of Karnataka and
western Andhra Pradesh states.
• Body colour is usually spotted
black and white. Horn covered
outword and backwords, dip
cheet and arched ribs, strong
quarters, heavy dewlaps and
pendulous sheath.
• Age at first calving ranges from
894 to 1540 days with an average
of 1391 days.
• Milk yield ranges from 636 to
1230 kgs with an average of 940
days.
• Caving interval averages 447 days.
 6. Rathi
• Rathi found in the arid regions of
Rajasthan.. It takes its name from a pastoral
tribe called Raths. The Breeding tract of
this breed lies in the heart of Thar Desert
consisting of Bikaner, Ganganagar and
Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan.
• The animals are usually brown with white
patches all over the body, but animals
having completely brown or black coat
with white patches are also seen.
• The Rathi cows are efficient and good
milkers. The cows on an average produce
1560 kilo grams of milk. The lactation
milk yield ranges from 1062 to 2810 Kg.
Selected cows have produced around 4800
Kg at farmer’s doorstep
 7. Mewati
• Mewati, also known as “Kosi” or “Mehwati”, is a
draught purpose breed.
• The breeding tract includes Gurgaon and
Faridabad districts of Haryana: Alwar and
Bharatpur Districts of Rajasthan; and
Mathura District of Uttar Pradesh.
• Mewati cattle are powerful and docile, and are
useful for heavy ploughing, carting and drawing
water from deep wells.
• Mewati cattle are usually white with neck,
shoulders and quarters of a darker shade.
• Horns are small to medium in size and emerge
outwards, upwards and then inwards in majority
of animals. However, in some animals the horns
emerge outwards and upward. Tips of the horns
are pointed.
• Face is long and narrow with straight, sometimes
slightly bulging forehead.
• The average lactation yield reported is around
958 Kg.
Drought purpose
1. Hallikar
• Originated from the former
princely state of Vijayanagarm,
presently part of Karnataka.
• The colour is grey white.
• They are compact, muscular
and medium size animal with
long bulging forhead,
• Long horn with sharp pointed
tip, long face and small ear.
• The breed is best known for its
draught capacity and especially
for its trotting ability.
 2. Amritmahal
• Originated in Hassan,
Chikmagalur and
Chitradurga district of
Karnataka.
• Amiritmahal are grey
cattle but their shade
varies from almost white
to near black.
• Horns are long and end in
sharp black points. Horns
protruded backside
• Ears small and erect,
dewlap small.
• Poor milk producers.
 3. Khillari
• Originated from Sholapur districts of
Maharashtra.
• The typical Khillari animal is compact
and tight skinned, with clean cut
features and squarely developed
hindquarters.
• Horns are long and pointed and
follow the backward curve of the
forehead which are placed close
together at the root with thick base.
• The ribs are well sprung and give the
trunk a barrel shape.
• Grey-white in colour and have quick
gait
• Average milk yield per lactation of
Khillar cattle is 451 kg.
 4. Kangayam
• Originated in Kangayam, Dharapuram, Perundurai,
Erode, Bhavani and part of Gobichettipalayam taluk of
Erode and Coimbatore district.

• Coat is red at birth, but changes to grey at about 6

months of age.

• Bulls are grey with dark colour in hump, fore and hind
quarters.

• Bullocks are grey.

• Cows are grey or white. However, animals with red,

black, fawn and broken colours are also observed.

• The eyes are dark and prominent with black rings

around them.
 5. Bargur
• Found around Bargur hills in
Bhavani taluk of Coimbtore
district of Tamil nadu.
• Bargur cattle are of brown
colour with white markings.
Some white or dark brown
animal are also seen.
• Animals are well built, compact
and medium in size.
 6. Umblachery
• It is otherwise called as Jathi madu,
Mottai madu, Molai madu,
Therkathi madu.
• Originated in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur
and Nagappattinam districts of
Tamil Nadu.
• Umblachery calves are generally
red or brown at birth with all the
characteristic white marking on the
face, on limbs and tail.
• The practice of dehorning of
bullocks is peculiar in Umblachery
cattle.
 7. Kherigarh
• Kherigarh is a draught purpose breed
and the breeding tract includes
“Kheri” district of Uttar Pradesh. The
breed has been named after this area.
• The breed is also known by various
names like “Kheri”, “Kharigarh” and
“Khari”.
• The animals of this breed are small
but active. Kherigarh have white coat
colour. Some animals have grey colour
distributed all over the body,
especially on face.
• Horns are upstanding, curving
outward and upward and thick at the
base.
• The standard lactation milk yield
ranges from 300 to 500 kilo grams:
 8. Red Kandhari
• Originated from Kandhar tehsil in Nanded
district of Maharashtra, Red Kandhari is
also known as “Lakhalbunda”.
• It is a draught breed of cattle. Its breeding
tract comprises Ahmadnagar, Parbhani,
Beed, Nanded and Latur districts of
Maharashtra.
• The colour is uniform deep dark red, but
variations from a dull red to almost brown
are also found. Bulls are a shade darker
than cows.
• Horns are evenly curved and medium
sized.
• The bullocks are used for heavy
agricultural work like ploughing and
carting as well as for transportation.
• The cows produce fair quantity of milk
with an average of 598 Kg per lactation
with average fat percentage of 4.57%.
 9. Siri
• Siri is a small sized draught purpose breed of hilly
region of West Bengal and Sikkim. The breed is also
known as “Trahbum”.
• The breeding tract of the breed includes Darjeeling
district of West Bengal and Sikkim.
• The breed is either black or brown with white
patches, though totally black or brown animals are
also available.
• The hump is cervico-thoracic type with tuft of hair on
it.
• Horns are medium sized and curved outward,
forward and slightly upward with sharp and pointed
tips.
• Animals are housed in slope of hills in open houses.
• The males are mainly reared for draught purpose in
the hilly area and sometimes they are the only
source of draught power.
• The breed produces very less amount of milk
averaging around 425.8 kg per lactation with fat
percentage varying from 2.8 to 5.5%.
 10. Vechur
• Vechur is one of the dwarf cattle breeds of
India, with an average length of 124 cm and
height of 87 cm,
• it is considered to the smallest cattle breed
in the world. It is known by the name of a
place Vechur - a small place by the side of
Vembanad lake near Vaikam in Kottayam
district of Kerala.
• The animals are light red, black or fawn and
white in colour. In bulls, colour in between
fore and hindquarters is relatively dark or
dark grey.
• Horns are small, thin curving forward and
downward. In some cases, they are
extremely small and are hardly visible.
• The animals are well adapted to the hot and
humid climate of the area.
• The animals are maintained for manure and
milk.
• Milk production is relatively higher than any
other dwarf cattle. Average milk yield is 561
Kg per lactation and the milk fat percent
ranges from 4.7 to 5.8.
Breeds of Buffalo
All the buffaloes are divides into two types

1. The River type

- Are heavier than swamp type
- Have higher milk production capacity.
- Shows preference for clean running water.
- Account for ~92% of total milk produced.
2. The Swamp type
- Are light weight
- Have lower milk production capacity.
- Mainly used for drought purpose in the paddy
field in South East Asia.
- Is a semi-aquatic animal.
- Both are good swimmer
Swam Type
Murrah
Nili-Ravi
Jafrabadi
Surti
Godavari
Mehsana
Bhadawari
Nagpuri
Toda
Pandarapuri
Marathwada
Brazil Tipo Baio
Thialand Buffalo
References for further reading………..

1. Animal Husbandry; TNAU AGRITECH Portal.

2. Breads of Cattle and Buffalo; Expert system for cattle and buffalo, ICAR, TNAU.