Indigenous cows native to India such as Gir and Sahiwal are compared to exotic cows from other countries such as Jersey and Holstein Friesian. Indigenous cows are better suited to Indian climates and conditions, produce more nutritious milk, and have benefits such as reducing greenhouse gases, enhancing immunity, and having medicinal properties. Exotic cows require more management of climate and feeding conditions in India and can transmit diseases. Indigenous cows are therefore better for small farmers in India from economic and health perspectives.

2. Indigenous Cows & Exotic Cows
Author : Subhananda Hari Das ( RP BRS)
E-mail : shubhraj.mit@gmail.com
Date Produced : April, 2017
Serial No : 17 of 54

3. All native varieties of Indian Cows are called
Indigenous Cows
e.g. Gir, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, etc
All the Cows of countries other
than India and who do not possess the
attributes of Indian Cows are called
Exotic cows
e.g. Jersey, Holstein Friesian etc.

4.  Cows and Bulls have
Hump
 Body length or size is medium or
small
Have rounded prominent forehead
Have pointed ears
Skin is thin, soft, bright
and hairy
Have pendulous dewlap
which is well developed
Their back is without hump
and straight
Size and length of body
are quite large
Have almost flat forehead
Rounded ears and thick hair
growth around them
Skin is thick and tend to be
furrier
Dewlap is less developed so
cannot tolerate heat stress

5. They have well developed horns
Udder is medium to smaller
in size, so less prone to injury
while grazing
Capable of shaking their skin
locally
Sound produced by indigenous
cows are clear, loud and melodious
Hornless or with small
horns.
Well developed udder,
Susceptible to injury
Unable to do so
Sound produced is
hoarse, sharp and
somewhat suppressed

6. Indigenous cows
are emotional,
affectionate, gentle,
simple and
faithful to their
owners.
In forests, during grazing if their owner’s are attacked by lion or other
wild animals, they make a protection zone around their owner to protect
him.
They do not have
any emotional
attachment
with owner.

7. Length of intestine is
160 -180ft which
helps them derive
optimum nutrition
from less food intake
Length of intestine is
115 -120ft which doesn’t helps them
to derive maximum nutrition from
food.

8. They sweat a lot which
helps removing toxins
from their body making
their milk, curd, ghee
etc. purer
Do not sweat much which
adversely affect the purity of
milk.

9. Indigenous cows are acclimatized to Indian
conditions so they can
survive in any climatic
conditions without affecting
their performance. They
can survive the summer
Temperature upto 48-50°C
and winter as well. They can survive only
in colder region/countries.
In our country their acclimatization
proved to be quite difficult. Extra
arrangement are needed to control the environmental
temperature, otherwise their production goes down,
rather they become ill and succumb to death.

10. As their production is good at low temperature
under better hygiene, feed and managemental
conditions, so, they need special devices of
temperature regulation, sheds and fodder for
production which impose extra economic
burden on the farmer.
Rearing of indigenous cows is quite cheap.
They can be kept on grazing in
grasslands even with less feed, their
performances are not affected. They
do not need extra sheds as they
live along with the owner in
same hut.

11. Indigenous cows have strong immunity therefore,
outbreaks of different
diseases are seen in low profile.
They are even less susceptible
to Rinderpest, H.S. etc. so
there is less economical loss.
As their immune system is comparatively
weak so they get infected with infections
such as Riderpest, Haemorrhagic
septicemia (HS),
Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) etc.
Frequency of illness is more in these cows

12. Generally they do not
transmitt diseases.
Transmitt a number of diseases through import
including
mycoplasma, babesiosis,
thelariosis, infectious abortion, pneumonia,
diarrhoea, rotavirus infection leptospirosis,
tuberculosis, brucellosis, clamydiosis, Johne’s
disease, herpes virus infection.

13. Milk of indigenous cows are
more nutritionally or scientifically
beneficial, as some chemicals
and micronutrients like
cytokines, minerals and
interferons present will
enhance the immune system
of consumers.
Due to large quantity,
their milk is thinner
in consistency and
thought to be less nutritious.

14. Drafting bulls were mainly
used for agriculture,
ploughing, water pumping,
carriage of grains and luggage
from rural to urban area.
Working efficiency of these
bulls are less than
indigenous ones, hence
they are not much useful
for agricultural purposes and
other such works.

15. As indigenous cows are quite
resistant, so the spread of
Zoonotic diseases like
tuberculosis and brucellosis
are less even though
owner and cows live
under same roof.
Exotic and crossbred animals
are much susceptible to infections
such as tuberculosis, mycoplasmosis,
leptospirosis and several viral infections
and also transmit them to human beings
through their milk, urine, dung, contact
and air. Diagnosis of such diseases are
quite difficult but surveys showed that
most of such diseases
spread from animal to man.

16. Indigenous cows are acclimatized according to
environments.
They are capable to produce
lesser amount of carbon dioxide, methane,
carbon monoxide and
ammonia after digestion
of feed and fodder.
They produce excessive
amount of these harmful gases
that destroys the ozone layer leading to
green house effect.
So these cows are harmful
to our environment and are
helpful in increasing the
ultraviolet radiation on earth.

17. Expired air of indigenous
cows contain some
amounts of oxygen
which is useful for
human beings
as well as for
environment.
Their expired air have
lot of carbon dioxide.

18. Different types of medicines
are prepared from milk,
curd, butter, ghee, urine
and dungof indigenous
cows, which are drug
of choice for different
incurable diseases.
Their products and by
products do not have such properties.

19. Desi cows are kept for milk,
calf and their products like
cow urine,dung etc. and
there is no need of oxytocin
injections for let down
of milk. Exotic or crossbred cows
are mainly kept for milk so oxytocin
injections
are frequently used to
enhance the milk let down,
which is hazardous
for human health.

20. Desi cowurine is quite useful
therefore being added in
Panchgavya and Panchamitra.
Current studies showed that it
enhances reproductive
performance and immunity
of our body.
There is no such
property in urine.

21. Desi cow dung protects houses
from ultraviolet radiation.
Many bacteria and
microorganisms present
in the dung act as
probiotics.It is very much
useful as a powerful
fertilizer in agriculture
and has medicinal value.
Dung of exotic or
crossbred have
no such property.

22. The urine and dung of grazing
desi cows have many
medicinal properties
and dung of such
Cows are free
from foul smell.
Their dung and urine have
no medicinal property
as they are fed on high concentrate ration
so
there is foul smell
in their dung.

23. Desi cow remain healthy and
can survive and produce in
unhygienic and contaminated
environment.
Exotic and crossbred cows
show good production,
performance in hygienic
and sanitary conditions
but under poor hygiene,
death rate and
infertility increases.

24. Life Expectancy is more than 15 years with many
surviving up to 20 years and also come with high
reproduction rate (sometimes up to 15 calves in
their lifetime).
Life Expectancy is relatively lower than the
Indigenous cows

25. Source:
1) Indigenous Cows & Exotic Cows by
Dr. Vrinda Baxi (Vrindavanlila Devi Dasi)
2) http://gausewamission.org/

26. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

27. ISKCON Daiva Varnasrama Ministry
Promoting Rural Development in India
www.iskconvarnasrama.com
OM Sri Surabhi Campaign
www.srisurabhi.org