Breeds and Identification of Farm Animals
Domain 3: Breeds and Identification of Farm Animals
This domain tests breed recognition from description, classification by utility, and the methods used to identify individual animals. Expect matching-type questions and which-breed-for-this-purpose situations.
Cattle and buffalo
- Indigenous milch cattle: Sahiwal (reddish-brown, loose skin), Gir (reddish with white patches, prominent forehead), Red Sindhi and Tharparkar (white or grey).
- Dual-purpose cattle: Hariana, Kankrej, Ongole, Deoni (black with white patches, Maharashtra) and Gaolao.
- Draught cattle: Khillar (Maharashtra), Amritmahal and Hallikar.
- Exotic dairy cattle: Jersey (fawn, high fat), Holstein Friesian (black-and-white, high volume) and Brown Swiss.
- Buffalo breeds: Murrah (jet black, tight curled horns), Jaffarabadi (heavy, pendulous ears), Mehsana, Surti, Pandharpuri (long horns, Solapur) and Nagpuri (Vidarbha).
- Goats and sheep: Osmanabadi goat (Maharashtra, dual purpose), Sirohi, Beetal and Boer; Deccani sheep (Maharashtra) and Nellore.
- Poultry: Aseel and Kadaknath (indigenous), Giriraj and Vanaraja (improved dual-purpose), Rhode Island Red, Leghorn and Cornish.
Identification
Ear tags, tattooing, branding, ear notching, neck chains and RFID tags. A good method is permanent, readable at a distance, painless and tamper-proof; no single method meets all criteria.
Worked example
A Vidarbha farmer wants a milch buffalo adapted to local conditions, with long flat horns and a greyish-black body. Reason: the description matches Nagpuri, a local buffalo breed, rather than Murrah, which is jet black with tightly curled horns. Choose local adaptability, but compare milk yield and market before recommending it.
Traps
Mixing up Deoni (cattle) with a buffalo breed; calling Khillar a milch breed; and using coat colour alone when breed identification needs horns, ears, hump and utility.