Milk Production Management & Dairy Development

Lesson 3. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS OF BUFFALO BREEDS (Part-I)

Module 2. Breeds of cattle and buffaloes

Lesson 3
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS OF BUFFALO BREEDS

3.1. Introduction

Indian buffaloes are an important source of milk supply and yield milk nearly three times as much as cows. The Indian buffaloes or water buffaloes are found all over the plains and lower hills in the country. Swamp buffaloes are also found in the southern and western states. They are powerful draught animals. These are about seven indigenous breeds of buffaloes which are well known for their milk qualities.

3.2. Buffalo Breeds

Table 3.1 Classification of buffalo breeds based on geographical location

Murrah Group	Gujarat	Uttar Pradesh	Central Indian	South Indian
Murrah	Surti	Bhadawari	Nagpuri	Toda(TN)
Nili-ravi	Jaffarbadi,	Tarai	Pandhapur,	South canara (Karnataka)
Kundi	Mehsana		Sambalpuri,
Godavari			Manda
			Kalahandi
			Jerangi

Murrah

Synonym	:	Delhi buffalo
Origin	:	Delhi, Haryana, Punjab
Color	:	Jet black with white markings on tail, fore head and extremities
Head, Neck	:	Proportionate to body
Horns	:	Tightly coiled and emerge laterally
Ears	:	Erect
Fore head	:	Bulged
Body	:	Short, deep, broad back, short and scanty hair
Barrel	:	Sufficient depth, width
Hind quarters	:	Droopy, sloppy
Legs	:	Strong, short
Pastern	:	White marks
Switch of tail	:	White, tail reaching up to fetlocks
Udder	:	Large, Capacious with convenient sized teats
Teats	:	Well spaced and hind teats are more larger than fore teats
Body weight -male Body weight -female	:	600 kg 400 to 500 kg
Milk yield	:	2000 to 2500 kg / lactation
Fat %	:	7
Age at first calving	:	41 to 42 months
Calving interval	:	450 to 500 days

Nili-ravi

Synonym	:	Nil
Origin	:	Along banks of Sutlej and Ravi rivers in Punjab
Color	:	Black with white markings on fore head, face, muzzle and legs
Head	:	Bulging at top and slightly elongated depressed between eyes, fine muzzle
Horn pattern	:	Tightly curled
Eyes	:	Wall eyes, Greyish
Fore head	:	White patch
Bricket	:	Well developed
Body	:	Massive with sparse hair coat, medium sized
Hind quarters	:	Sloppy
Tail	:	Long reaching up to ground
Udder	:	Pink patches on the udder
Body weight-male Body weight-female	:	600 kg 500 to 550 kg
Average lactation milk yield	:	1850 kgs
Age at first calving	:	45 months
Calving interval	:	450 to 500 days

Jaffarbadi

Synonym	:	Nil
Origin	:	Kathiawar district in Gujarat
Color	:	Black
Head	:	Elongated, massive, forehead prominent
Fore head	:	Massive
Horns	: :	Droopy, inclined to drop on each side of neck turning upward
Brisket	:	Well developed
Body	:	Lengthy and medium sized
Hind quarters	:	Sloppy
Legs	:	Strong
Switch of tail	:	Yellowish white
Body weight -male Body weight -female	:	550-600 kg 450-500 kg
Milk yield	:	1800 - 2700 kg / lactation
Fat %	:	9 to 10
Calving interval	:	480 days

Surti

Small buffalo Economical milk producer
Synonym	:	Nil
Origin	:	Anand, Baroda in Gujarat
Color	:	Grayish – brown or black sometimes white color at brisket
Head	:	Small, rounded between the horns and broader
Neck	:	Medium sized, 2 white collars one below the jowl and another above the brisket
Fore head	:	White patch
Horn pattern	:	Sickle shaped
Body	:	Wedge shaped and medium sized
Hind Quarters	:	Sloppy
Tail	:	Up to hock
Switch of tail	:	White switch
Udder	:	Well developed and finely shaped and squarely placed between the hindlegs
Body weight -male Body weight -female	: :	450 kg 400 kg
Milk yield	:	1370 kg / lactation
Fat(%)	:	7
Age at first calving	:	37 months
Calving interval	:	16 months

Nagpuri

Synonym	:	Marathwada, Berari, Ellichpuri
Origin	:	Maharastra
Color	:	Black
Head	:	Long
Neck	:	Lengthy and medium sized
Horns	:	Long resembling sword like with pointed tip
Ears	:	Droopy
Hind quarters	:	Sloppy
Body	:	Large
Body weight-male Body weight-female	:	525kg 425kg
Milk yield	:	1000kg / lactation
Fat %	:	7
Age at first calving	:	45 to 48 months
Calving interval	:	17 months

Badhwari

Synonym	:	Nil
Origin	:	Agra district in Uttar Pradesh
Color	:	Copper colored
Head	:	Relatively smaller and bulged
Horns	:	Curved horns
Forehead	:	Broad and deep, face is narrow.
Eyes	:	Eyes are prominent, bright.
Body	:	Wedge shaped, medium sized
Legs	:	Short and stout, hooves of hind quarters are more backward than fore quarters.
Barrel	:	Short but well developed
Tail	:	Long up to hocks with white switch
Hind quarters	:	Heavier and higher than fore quarter in female
Udder	:	moderately developed
Body weight -male Body weight -female	:	477 kg 386 kg
Milk Yield/Lactation	:	1000 kg
Fat %	:	12-13 Highest fat percent is observed in this breed.
Age at first calving	:	50 months

Mehsana

Produced by crossing Murrah × Surti
Synonym	:	Nil
Origin	:	Gujrat
Color	:	Blackish grey
Head & Neck	:	Proportionate, Neck is long and fine.
Horns	:	Resemble Surti or Murrah
Body	:	Medium size, deep and low set
Tail	:	Up to hock with white markings on switch of the tail
Udder	:	Well developed hind quarters or more developed than fore quarters with uniformly placed teats
Body weight-male Body weight-female	:	500 to 550 kg 450 to 500 kg
Milk yield/Lactation	:	1300 to 1500 kg
Age at first calving	:	40 to 45 months
Calving interval	:	16 months

Tarai

Synonym	:	Nil
Origin	:	Uttar Pradesh
Color	:	Black to Brown
Head	:	Convex
Horns	:	Long and flat with coils bending backward and upward having pointed tips.
Eyes & Ears	:	Eyes are small and Ears are long.
Body	:	Moderate size
Legs	:	Short and strong
Tail	:	Long up to hocks switch of the tail is white
Milk Yield/Lactation	:	Poor regarding milk production

Pandherpuri

Synonym	:	Pandharpur, Dharwari
Origin	:	Maharastra and parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
Color	:	Black
Head	:	Long and narrow face
Horns	:	Flat twisted thin horns
Body	:	Medium size

Males are hardy and well suited for draft purpose

Manda

Synonym	:	Parlakimedi, Ganjam
Origin	:	Orissa and Andhra Pradesh
Color	:	Brown
Head	:	Forehead is flat with short muzzle
Neck	:	Short
Horns	:	Horns are broad and semi circular extending backward and inward
Eyes	:	Sharp with a broad red margin around the eye lids
Chest	:	Well developed
Legs	:	Fore legs short
Body	:	Medium Size

Males are hardy and can work in the hot sun and can draw a load of about 1 tone at a slow pace

Sambalpur

Synonym	:	Kimedi, Gowdoo
Origin	:	Orissa
Color	:	Black
Head	:	Prominent forehead

Males are very active and good for draft purpose

Kalahandi

Synonym	:	Peddakimedi
Origin	:	Eastern part of Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas of Orissa
Color	:	Grey and hash Grey. Due to light color it tolerate heat more than dark color buffaloes
Horns	:	Broad horns half curved running backward at the tip
Eyes	:	Prominent and large with narrow red margin around the lids
Chest	:	Well developed
Legs	:	Strong forelegs
Tail	:	Medium length with white switch

Animals are docile and hardy. They are used to carry loads in hilly areas as well as for ploughing in plains

Synonym	:	Nil
Origin	:	Niligiri hills of Tamilnadu
Color	:	Black
Head	:	Large
Horns	:	Variable in shape set wide apart run outward ,upward and then inward at the top
Neck	:	Along the crest of the neck there is a thick growth of hair like mane which imparts a bison like appearance
Hind quarters	:	Sloppy
Body	:	Large
Milk yield	:	Females are good milkers 4.5 to 8.5 its daily
Fat %	:	7
Synonym	:	Nil
Origin	:	Orissa and Northern parts of Andhra Pradesh
Color	:	Black
Horns	:	Horns are conical and run backward
Legs	:	One of the dwarf breeds of buffaloes and its height does not exceed four feet.

These animals are used for ploughing in water logged paddy fields

Toda

Synonym	:	Nil
Origin	:	Niligiri hills of Tamilnadu
Color	:	Black
Head	:	Large
Horns	:	Variable in shape set wide apart run outward ,upward and then inward at the top
Neck	:	Along the crest of the neck there is a thick growth of hair like mane which imparts a bison like appearance
Hind quarters	:	Sloppy
Body	:	Large
Milk yield	:	Females are good milkers 4.5 to 8.5 its daily
Fat %	:	7