Sahiwal cattle
Encyclopedia
Sahiwal is a breed of Zebu
cattle
which primarily is used in dairy
production. Sahiwal originated from the Sahiwal district
of Pakistan
, a dry region of Punjab
which lies along the Indian-Pakistani border.. They produce the most milk
of all zebu breeds, followed by the very similar Red Sindhi
and Butana breeds.
and the Caribbean
.
It is tick-resistant, heat-tolerant and noted for its high resistance to parasites, both internal and external. Cows average 2270kg of milk during a lactation while suckling a calf and much higher milk yields have been recorded. As oxen, they are generally docile and lethargic, making them more useful for slow work.
The Sahiwal is the heaviest milker of all Zebu breeds and display a well developed udder. Sahiwals demonstrate the ability to sire small, fast-growing calves and are noted for their hardiness under unfavorable climatic conditions. Other characteristics include:
via New Guinea
in the early 1950s. In Australia, the Sahiwal breed was initially selected as a dual-purpose breed. It played a valuable role in the development of the two Australian tropical dairy breeds, the Australian Milking Zebu
and the Australian Friesian Sahiwal
. Sahiwal cattle are now predominantly used in Australia for beef production, as crossing high-grade Sahiwal sires with European breeds produced a carcass of lean quality with desirable fat cover. Sahiwal bulls have demonstrated the ability to sire small, fast-growing calves, noted for their hardiness under unfavorable climatic conditions.
The contribution of the Sahiwal breed to adaptability is well documented in Kenya
, Jamaica
, Guyana
, Burundi
, Somalia
, Sierra Leone
, Nigeria
and several ecological zones of Africa
where Sahiwals have been crossed with exotic Bos taurus breeds that have a high response capability for milk and beef production but lack adaptability to local conditions. The present Sahiwal cattle in Kenya are descendants of some 60 bulls and 12 cows imported between 1939 and 1963. The Sahiwal breed also is considered unequalled in transmitted effects for milk production among Bos indicus breeds. Kenya
is the main country in Africa
with major resources of Bos indicus Sahiwal cattle and serves as an important source of stock and semen for the continent.
Similarly, this breed is also exported to many other regions of Asia
including India
. The cows are the heaviest milkers of all zebu breeds and display a well-developed udder. In Pakistan the breed is being conserved by the Research Centre for Conservation of Sahiwal Cattle.
Zebu
Zebu , sometimes known as humped cattle, indicus cattle, Cebu or Brahmin cattle are a type of domestic cattle originating in South Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent. They are characterised by a fatty hump on their shoulders, drooping ears and a large dewlap...
cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
which primarily is used in dairy
Dairy cattle
Dairy cattle are cattle cows bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cows generally are of the species Bos taurus....
production. Sahiwal originated from the Sahiwal district
Sahiwal District
Sahiwal District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. As of 1998, it had a population of 1,843,194 people, 16.27% of which were located in urban areas. Since 2008, Sahiwal District along with Okara District and Pakpattan District has comprised the Sahiwal Division...
of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, a dry region of Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
which lies along the Indian-Pakistani border.. They produce the most milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
of all zebu breeds, followed by the very similar Red Sindhi
Red Sindhi cattle
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 India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and other countries...
and Butana breeds.
History
The Sahiwal originated in the dry Punjab region which lies along the Indian-Pakistani border. They were once kept in large herds by professional herdsmen called "Junglies". With the introduction of irrigation systems to the region they began to be kept in smaller numbers by the farmers of the region, who used them as draft and dairy animals. Today the Sahiwal is one of the best dairy breeds in India and Pakistan. Due to their heat tolerance and high milk production they have been exported to other Asian countries as well as AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
Characteristics
Their colour can range from reddish brown through to the more predominant red, with varying amounts of white on the neck, and the underline. In males the colour darkens towards the extremities, such as the head, legs and tail. The males have big hump; they have height at withers of 136 and 120 cm for males and females, respectively.It is tick-resistant, heat-tolerant and noted for its high resistance to parasites, both internal and external. Cows average 2270kg of milk during a lactation while suckling a calf and much higher milk yields have been recorded. As oxen, they are generally docile and lethargic, making them more useful for slow work.
The Sahiwal is the heaviest milker of all Zebu breeds and display a well developed udder. Sahiwals demonstrate the ability to sire small, fast-growing calves and are noted for their hardiness under unfavorable climatic conditions. Other characteristics include:
- High milk yields
- Tick and parasite resistance
- Heat tolerant
- Ease of calving
- Longevity, reproducing for upto 20yrs
- Drought resistant
- Bloat tolerant
- Good temperament
- Lean meat with even fat cover
Distribution
Due to it's unique characteristics, Sahiwal breed is exported to wide list of countries and regions. The Sahiwal breed arrived in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
via New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
in the early 1950s. In Australia, the Sahiwal breed was initially selected as a dual-purpose breed. It played a valuable role in the development of the two Australian tropical dairy breeds, the Australian Milking Zebu
Australian Milking Zebu
The Australian Milking Zebu is a composite breed of dairy cattle, developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia during the mid 1950s. To develop the breed, the CSIRO bred Sahiwal and Red Sindhi cattle from Pakistan with Jersey cattle. Some Illawarra,...
and the Australian Friesian Sahiwal
Australian Friesian Sahiwal
The Australian Friesian Sahiwal is an Australian breed of dairy cattle whose development commenced in the 1960s by the Queensland Government. It is a combination of the Sahiwal, a dairy breed of from Pakistan and Holstein breeds, designed for the tropical regions of Australia...
. Sahiwal cattle are now predominantly used in Australia for beef production, as crossing high-grade Sahiwal sires with European breeds produced a carcass of lean quality with desirable fat cover. Sahiwal bulls have demonstrated the ability to sire small, fast-growing calves, noted for their hardiness under unfavorable climatic conditions.
The contribution of the Sahiwal breed to adaptability is well documented in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and several ecological zones of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
where Sahiwals have been crossed with exotic Bos taurus breeds that have a high response capability for milk and beef production but lack adaptability to local conditions. The present Sahiwal cattle in Kenya are descendants of some 60 bulls and 12 cows imported between 1939 and 1963. The Sahiwal breed also is considered unequalled in transmitted effects for milk production among Bos indicus breeds. Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
is the main country in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
with major resources of Bos indicus Sahiwal cattle and serves as an important source of stock and semen for the continent.
Similarly, this breed is also exported to many other regions of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
including India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The cows are the heaviest milkers of all zebu breeds and display a well-developed udder. In Pakistan the breed is being conserved by the Research Centre for Conservation of Sahiwal Cattle.