Popular Cow breeds in the world
1.Holstein/Friesian
Habitat:
This is an exotic breed and originated from Fries Land in Holland.
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| Holstein breed characteristics |
Characteristics:
Frame and carcass is large
Body color is white with black patches or white with red patches
Calf weighs 90 pounds or more at birth.
Mature male weighs 1000 Kg and mature female weighs 550-650 kg.
Can be bred at 15 months of age, when they weigh about 800 pounds.
First calving age between 24 and 27 months of age.
Gestation period approximately nine months.
Milk production is 7200-9000 Litres per lactation. Animals with 12000 litres and more per lactation are also found. Range of average daily milk production may be 22-30 Litres. Super milking cows may produce 80-112 liters per day
Production period is less due to high volume and stress on udder
Face problem with calving due to high pins and narrow ramps
Heat tolerance is not well
Low fat and protein yield (3.5% fat and 3.15% protein)
2. Jersey Breed
Habitat:
This breed is originated from Jersey islands close to England. This breed is well known around the world for tits high fat and yellow milk. Its milk is liked in the world for its great cheese making ability.
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| jersey breed characteristics |
Characteristics:
Small carcass
The Jersey’s coat tends to be a shade of fawn (a pale red-yellow brown). But Jerseys may also be cream colored, gray, brown, a gray-brown mix, or nearly black. Some Jerseys are spotted with white. All Jerseys tend to be darker on the hips, head, and shoulders than on the rest of the body.
Mature female weighs 380-450 Kg and mature male 540-820 Kg
Age of maturity is 15-20 months
Age at first calving 26-30 months
Medium volume of milk production. 3600-6800 litres per laction (305 days).
Daily milk production 18-22 litres. Super milking may produce upto 65 liters per day
Problem of milk fever in older cows
High fat and protein yield (4.0-5.0% fat and 4.0% protein)
Yellow color milk due to high fat
3. Tharparkar Breed
Origin: Pakistan
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| Tharparkar breed characteristics |
- Originated in Tharparkar district (Pakistan) of undivided India and also found in Rajasthan.
- Otherwise known as White Sindhi, Gray Sindhi and Thari.
- They are medium sized, compact and have lyre-shaped horn.
- Body colour is white or light grey.
- The bullocks are quite suitable for ploughing and casting and the cows yield 1800 to 2600 kgs of milk per lactation.
4. Hariana
Origin: India
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| Hariana breed of Cattle |
- It was originated from Rohtak, Hisar, Jind and Gurgaon districts of Haryana and also popular in Punjab, UP and parts of MP.
- Horns are small.
- The bullocks are powerful work animals.
- Hariana cows are fair milkers yielding 600 to 800 kg of milk per lactation.
5. Ayrshire
- Origin is Ayrshire in Scotland and considered as most beautiful dairy breed. These are very active animals but hard to manage.
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| Ayrshire cattle breed characteristics |
- They do not produce as much milk or butter fat (only 4%) as some of the other dairy breeds.
- The breed was also known as Dunlop cattle or Cunningham cattle
6. Sahiwal Cow
Origin: Pakistan
Habitat:
Sahiwal cattle lives in parts of districts Sahiwal, Okara, Pakpattan, Multan, and Faisalabad in Punjab, Pakistan. The breed is named after Sahiwal district.
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| Sahiwal cow breed characteristics |
Physical Characteristics:
- This breed is medium-sized, and has a fleshy body.
- Females have reddish dun colour; males may have a darker colour around the orbit, neck, and hindquarters.
- Males have stumpy horns; females are often dehorned.
- Ears are medium-sized and drooping.
- Skin is loose and fine with a voluminous dewlap and sheath.
- The hump in the male is massive, but in the female it is nominal.
- The tail ends in a black switch.
- The udder is large and strong and occasionally has white patches.
- This is tick resistant breed because its skin naturally keeps on shivering
- Milk yield is 1500-2200 litres per lactation with a fat content of 4.5 %.
- Adult males weigh 400-500 kg, while females weigh 300 to 350 kg. Males having body weight of more than 1000 kg have also been documented.
- Average lactation length is 235 days
- Age at first calving is 45 months
- Service period is 155 days
- Dry period is 205 days
- Calving interval is 440 days
- Gestation period is 285 days
7. Red Sindhi Cow
Origin: Pakistan
Habitat:
The Red Sindhi breed originates from a mountainous region called `Mahal Kohistan', spread over parts of Karachi, Thattha and Dadu districts in Sindh. The hometract of this breed extends to the irrigated areas of Hyderabad (Sindh) and the arid plains of Lasbella district in Balochistan.
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| Red sindhi cow |
Physical Characteristics:
- This is a medium-sized breed with a compact build and red body colour.
- The Lasbella strain is comparatively darker, and the colour of the bull is likely to be darker at the shoulders.
- It has a large head with an occasional bulge in the forehead.
- Horns are thick and stumpy in males but thin in females.
- Ears are fine and small.
- The hump is well‑developed in males.
- The dewlap is moderate in both sexes.
- The sheath is pendulous in males, but nominal in females.
- Hind quarters are round and drooping
- Tail switch is black
- Udder is medium to large and strong.
- Red Sindhi animals are hardy and adapt very well to stressful environments.
- Milk yield per lactation varies from 1200 to 2000 litres
- Adult males weigh 400-500 kg, while females weigh 300-350 kg.
- Average lactation length is 265 days
- Age at first calving is 45 months
- Service period is 210 days
- Dry period is 230 days
- Calving interval is 495 days
- Gestation period is 288 days
8. Cholistani Cattle
Origin: Pakistan
Habitat:
Cholistan tract (a desert area) and adjoining colonized areas of Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, and Rahimyar Khan districts of Pakistan.
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| Cholistani cattle |
Physical Characteristics:
- Large-sized flabby animals
- Horns are small.
- Ears are long.
- Hump is well-developed in males
- Dewlap is large both in male and female
- White coat with speckled red, brown or black all over the body including head
- Sheath is pendulous in male
- Tail ends in black switch.
- Udder is medium-sized with milk yield varying from 1200 to 1800 litres/lactation
- Average body weight is 450 to 500 and 350 to 400 kg in male and female animals respectively.
- Males are a good source of beef and may be used as draught animals
- Age at first calving is 50 months
- Service period is 140 days
- Dry period is 225 days
- Calving interval is 425 days
- Gestation period is 285 days
9. Achai Cattle
Habitat:
A small-sized breed found in KPK province. Pakistan. The hometract of Achai animals extends on the west to adjoining parts of Afghanistan and on the east to hilly tract of northwestern Punjab.
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| Achai cattle |
Physical Characteristics:
- Predominant colour is reddish brown with white face.
- Animals of all reddish brown colour with or without white (or spotted) head are also seen. White spots may be seen on the udder, underline, and the legs. Colour of muzzle varies from white to light or dark brown.
- In females, horns are small and thin, resembling hooks with variable curls and directions, while in males, horns are large, directed upward and forward.
- The eyes are sharp and bright.
- Neck is short, especially in males.
- Switch of tail is generally white, but reddish brown colour is also seen.
- Tail extends down well below the hock joint with a fluffy switch.
- The dewlap is quite voluminous in male but less in females.
- Hump is well developed in male but less in female.
- Proportionate to body size, the udder is adequately developed with a daily yield of about 4 litres
- Achai cows can be milked many times a day.
- Testicles are proportionate to body size.
- The sheath is fairly tight.
- Males are reasonably agile and are used for light draft work.
- Well-fed males serve as good beef animals, especially for sacrificial purposes.
- Docility is one of the recognized characteristics of Achai animals, even children can comfortably handle them.
- They are an asset for hilly terrain of the KPK province under resource limited subsistence production set up.
10. Gir Cow Breed
Origin: India
- This breed is otherwise called as Bhadawari, Desan, Gujarati, Kathiawari, Sorthi, and Surati.
- Originated in Gir forests of South Kathiawar in Gujarat also found in Maharashtra and adjacent Rajasthan, India
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| Gir cow breed |
- 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.
- This bread is known for its hardiness and disease resistance