This document provides information on various cattle breeds found in India. It discusses milch, dual purpose and drought breeds. Key milch breeds described include Gir, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi and Tharparker. Some dual purpose breeds covered are Hariana, Ongole and Kankrej. Drought breeds mentioned include Hallikar, Amritmahal, Khillari and Kangayam. For each breed, details are given on origin, physical characteristics and traits like milk yield. The document serves as a reference for the different types of cattle breeds reared across India.

1. DEPARTMENT OF LIVESTOCK
PRODUCTION AND
MANAGEMENT
Topic: Breeds of Cattle
Prepared by :VIKAS R. TAJANE
BVC, MUMBAI

2. BREEDS OF CATTLE
• Milch Breeds
1) Gir
2) Sahiwal
3)Red Sindhi
4) Tharparker

3. • Dual Purpose Breeds
1) Hariana
2) Ongole
3) Kankrej
4) Deoni
5) Nimari
6) Dangi
7) Mewati
8) Rathi

4. Drought purpose Breeds
1) Hallikar
2) Amritmahal
3) Khillari
4) Burger
5) Nagori
6) Bachaur
7) Malvi
8) Kenkatha
9) Kherigarh
10) Kangayan
11) Ponwar
12) Siri
13) Gaolao
14) Krishna valley
15) Red Kandhari
16) Vechur

5. 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.
• Age at first calving 45-54 months and
inter calving period from 515 to 600
days.

6. Sahiwal
• Originated in Montgomery
district in present Pakistan.
• This breed otherwise known as
Lola (loose skin), Lambi Bar,
Montgomery, Multani, Teli.
• 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Dual purpose breeds
• 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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. Animals with inward pointing
horns or downward pointing horn tips are
also available in sizable numbers.
• 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.

13. 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.

14. 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

15. Mewati
• Mewati, also known as “Kosi” or “Mehwati”, is a
draught purpose breed.
• The breeding tyract 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.

16. Drought purpose
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.

17. 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.

18. 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 with an
average milk fat of 4.2 %. The
lactation yield ranges from 240 to
515 kilo grams

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. Krishna Valley
• Originated from black cotton soil
of the water shed of the river
Krishna in Karnataka.
• Animals are large, having a
massive frame with deep, loosely
built short body.
• Tail almost reaches the ground.
• Common colour grey white with
a darker shade on fore quarters
and hind quarters in male. Adult
females are more whitish in
appearance.
• The bullocks of this breed are
powerful animals useful for slow
ploughing, and valued for their
good working qualities.
• The cows are fair milkers,
average yield being about 916
kgs during the lactation period.

23. 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:

24. NAGORI:
The breeding tract of Nagori breed is Bikaner, Jodhpur and
Nagaur district of Rajasthan.
They are White in colour and are upstanding, very alert and
agile animals with long and narrow face like that of a
horse.
Nagori cattle are fine, big, upstanding, active and docile, with
white and grey colour. They have long, deep and powerful
frames, with straight backs and well-developed quarters.
The face is long and narrow but the forehead is flat and not so
prominent. The eyelids are rather heavy and overhanging
and the eyes are small, clear and bright.
The ears are large and pendulous.
The horns are moderate in size, emerge from the outer angles
of the poll in an outward direction, and are carried
upwards with a gentle curve to turn in at the points.
They are famous as trotters and are used all over Rajputana of
Rajasthan in light iron-wheeled carts for quick
transportation.
Average milk yield per lactation of Nagori cattle is 603 kg with
an average milk fat of 5.8%. The lactation yield ranges from
479 to 905 kg.

25. Malvi
• Malvi is named after its place of
origin viz. “Malwa” region. It is also known by
synonyms as “Mahadeo puri” & “Manthani”.
• The breeding tract includes Rajgarh, Shajapur,
Ratlam and Ujjain districts of Madhya Pradesh.
• Malvi cattle are white or white greyish - darker in
males, with neck, shoulders, hump and quarters
almost black. Cows and bullocks become nearly
pure white with age.
• The horns are curved and emerge from the
outer angle of the poll in an outward and
upward direction and are about 20 - 25 cm in
long.
• The animals are well known for quick
transportation, endurance and ability to carry
heavy load on rough roads. The animals of this
breed are strong and well–built.
• The average milk yield in this breed is around
916 Kg per lactation with 4.3% fat and ranges
from 627 Kg to 1227 Kg.

26. Ponwar
• Ponwar, a draught breed of cattle from North India, It
is also known as “Purnea”. Its breeding tract is the
Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh.
• There is no particular pattern but black and white
patches are intermixed.
• They possess medium sized horns, which generally
emerge outward, upward and then curve inward with
pointed tips.
• The animals behave in semi-wild manner and are
tough to control.
• They move in groups putting their heads down in
between each other which is a peculiar behavior that
has emerged due to fear from predators.
• The animals are maintained in extensive management
system, without provision of sheds and are raised
entirely on grazing in forestland without feed
supplementation.
• Females are generally not milked and calves are
allowed to suckle the milk.
• Bullocks are fast movers and therefore used both for
agricultural operations and transportation.
• Cows produces a fair amount of milk with an average
yield of 459 Kg per lactation.

27. Bachaur
• The breeding tract of Bachaur cattle is Sitamarhi,
Dharbanga and Madhubani district of Bihar.
• They are also known as “Bhutia”.
• The breed has very close similarity to the Hariana
breed. The breed is primarily utilized for draft
qualities and ability to thrive with lower quality
feeds.
• Common colours of Bachaur cattle is grey or
greyish white. They are compact with straight
backs, well-rounded barrels, short necks and
muscular shoulders.
• The forehead is broad and flat or slightly convex.
The eyes are large and prominent.
• The horns are medium-sized and stumpy, curving
outward, upward and downward.
• The breed is mainly used for work and bullocks can
work for long periods without any break.
• Average milk yield per lactation of Bachaur cow is
347 kg with an average milk fat of 5 %. The
lactation milk yield ranges from 225 to 630 kg.

28. Gaolao
• Gaolao is a breed of western and middle part
of India and known for its agility. The breed
is also known as “Arvi” and “Gaulgani”.
• The breeding tract of the breed includes
Balaghat, Chhindwara, Seoni districts of
Madhya Pradesh; Durg and Rajnandgaon
districts of Chattisgarh and Wardha and
Nagpur districts of Maharashtra.
• The breed is suitable for transportation in
hilly areas.
• The coat colour is blackish white in males
and white in females. Males are generally
grey over the neck.
• Horns are short, stumpy and curved slightly
backward. Head is markedly long and taper
towards muzzle.
• Forehead recedes at the top giving a slightly
convex appearance. Bullocks are trained for
moving fast.
• The milk yield is low with an average of 604
kg per lactation with 4.32% fat (ranges
between 470 to 725 kg per lactation).

29. Kenkatha
• Also known as “Kenwaria”, the breeding tract
comprises Tikamgarh district of Madhya
Pradesh and Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Banda
districts of Uttar Pradesh.
• Kenkatha breed is maintained mainly for
draught purpose and are very popular for
light draught on road and for cultivation.
• The animals are small, sturdy and powerful,
varying in colour from grey on the barrel to
dark grey on rest of the body.
• The horns emerge from the outer angles of
the poll in forward direction and end in sharp
points.
• They are known for their peculiar
characteristic to thrive on poor feed
resources.

30. 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%.

31. 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%.

32. 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.