Red Sindhi

Red Sindhi cattle ڳاڙهي سنڌي ڳئون Conservation status Domesticated Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Bovinae Genus: Bos Species: Bos taurus Subspecies: B. t. indicus Binomial name Bos taurus indicus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Bos indicus and Bos primigenius indicus Speculative life restoration of the enigmatic Indian aurochs (B. p. namadicus)

Juvenile Red Sindhi bull at Pakistan

Red Sindhi cow in Sindh, Pakistan

Red Sindhi cattle are the most popular of all Zebu dairy breeds. The breed originated in the Sindh province of Pakistan, they are widely kept for milk production across Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and other countries.^[1] They have been used for crossbreeding with temperate (European) origin dairy breeds in many countries to combine their tropical adaptations (heat tolerance, tick resistance, disease resistance, fertility at higher temperatures, etc.) with the higher milk production found in temperate regions. It has been crossed with Jerseys in many places, including India, the United States, Australia, Sri Lanka, etc.^[2]

Description

The Red Sindhi range in color from a deep reddish brown to a yellowish red, but most commonly a deep red. They are distinguished from the other dairy breed of Sindh, the Tharparkar or White Sindhi, both by color and form, the Red Sindhi is smaller, rounder, with a more typical dairy form, and with short, curved horns, while the Tharparkar are taller with a shape more typical of Zebu draft breeds, and with longer, lyre shaped horns.^[3][4][5]

Breeding

It has been crossed with include Holstein-Friesian, Brown Swiss and Danish Red. It has also been used to improve beef and dual purpose cattle in many tropical countries, as it is sufficiently meaty to produce good beef calves in such crosses and the high milk production helps give a fast-growing calf which is ready for market at one year. It is somewhat smaller than the very similar Sahiwal and produces a little less milk per animal as a result. This has caused it to lose favor with some commercial dairies in India and Pakistan, which have been phasing out their Red Sindhi herds by breeding to Sahiwal bulls for a few generations. The resulting cows, which are three-quarters Sahiwal and one-quarter Red Sindhi, can not be distinguished from pure Sahiwal cattle. Red Sindhi cattle are also used for milk production in Brazil, but this race of zebu is not popular as others.^[6][7]

In India

In Gauriakarma, in Hazaribagh in the Indian state of Jharkhand, a farm was established to maintain the germplasm of Red Sindhi cattle. Here, bulls are given free of cost to the villagers of the state. This government cattle farm is single farm of Jharkhand having Red Sindhi cow. The area of this was earlier about 2750 acres of land but due to transfer of land to other organization the area of this farm is reduced.Presently this farm is pride of Jharkhand. Dr. Niraj Kumar Verma is manager of this farm. This farm has a target to keep 350 cows.

Brazilian Red Sindhi Cattle

Some Red Sindhi cows were imported to the Brazil in the middle of 20th century.^[8]

See also

• White Sindhi cattle
• Sahiwal cattle
• Zebu

References

1. "Red Sindhi Cattle". Retrieved 25 July 2013.
2. http://dairyknowledge.in/article/red-sindhi
3. "Red Sindhi cattle". Retrieved 16 February 2016.
4. "Status, characteristics and performance of Red Sindhi cattle". The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences. Pundir. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
5. Abdul Wahid. Red Sindhi cattle. Manager of Publications. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
6. http://docsdrive.com/pdfs/medwelljournals/javaa/2004/353-355.pdf
7. http://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302%2861%2989703-8/abstract
8. https://asas.org/docs/default-source/wcgalp-posters/436_paper_8601_manuscript_880_0.pdf?sfvrsn=2

External links

• STATUS, CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE OF RED SINDHI CATTLE