Dairy Cattle and Buffalo Breeds
This domain tests breed identification and, more importantly, your ability to match an animal to a purpose and a local climate. Questions mix recognition (colour, horns, origin) with production facts (yield, fat, age at maturity) and suitability for Assam's hot, humid conditions.
Indigenous cattle
- Sahiwal (Punjab): red-brown, loose skin, heavy dewlap; the best milk yielder among Zebu cattle, fat about 4.5–5%.
- Gir (Gujarat): red with white patches, prominent forehead, long pendulous ears; good milk, heat tolerant, widely used in crossbreeding.
- Red Sindhi, Tharparkar, Rathi, Deoni: dual-purpose milk types.
- Hariana, Kankrej, Ongole: dual-purpose with draft value; Ongole is large and white/grey.
- Assam local cattle: small, thrifty, tolerant of humidity and grazing on bunds; keep them in view when a question asks about indigenous cattle of Assam.
Buffalo
- Murrah (Haryana): jet black, tightly curled horns, highest milk yield among buffaloes; fat commonly 6.5–7%.
- Surti (Gujarat): lighter, sickle-shaped horns, good fat.
- Jaffarabadi: heavy, pendulous horns; Bhadawari: high fat.
- Local swamp buffalo: low milk, used for draft and wallowing; not a dairy breed.
Exotic and crossbred
- Holstein Friesian: black and white, highest volume, lower fat (about 3.5%), less heat tolerant.
- Jersey: fawn, small, higher fat (about 5%), better for humid climates.
- Karan Swiss (Sahiwal × Brown Swiss), Karan Fries (Tharparkar × HF), Frieswal (Sahiwal × HF), Sunandini (Kerala).
Worked example
A Kamrup farmer wants 8–10 litres/day, sells loose milk locally, and has no cooling. Reasoning: loose milk sale rewards fat, so a Jersey crossbred or a Murrah buffalo fits better than a pure HF; the Jersey crossbred keeps body size and heat tolerance, while Murrah gives higher fat but a longer dry period and later maturity. Answer: Jersey crossbred first, Murrah second.
Traps
- Swapping Gir and Sahiwal colour or horn details.
- Quoting HF fat as high, or Murrah yield as low.
- Assuming a pure exotic breed will out-perform a crossbred in Assam's humidity.
- Giving buffalo gestation (about 310 days) for cattle.