The physical characters of Murrah

Body : Sound built, heavy and wedge shaped.

Head : Comparatively small.

Face : Comparatively long.

Neck : Comparatively long.

Body colour : Jet-black.
White markings on face and leg extremities may be there (2, 3), but are not generally preferred.

Eyes : Should not be walled i.e. the cornea should not have whiteness.

Tail : Long reaching upto fetlock joint (2, 3, and 6) with black or white switch upto (maximum) 8.0 inches (4).

Horns : Different from other breeds of buffaloes; short, tight, turning backward and upward and finally spirally curving inward. The horns should be somewhat flattened. As the age advances the horns get loosened slightly but spiral curves increases.

Limbs : Comparatively short but strong built.

Skin : Soft, smooth with scanty hairs as compared to other buffaloes.
Udder : Fully developed, drooping.

Teats : Equally distributed over the udder but hind teats are longer than fore teats.

Loin : Broader and sliding forward.

Body weight : The average body weight of males, 550 Kg and the females, 450-Kg.

Height : The average height at withers; male: 1.42 meter; female: 1.32 meter.

Age at fist calving : 3 years but we have also the buffaloes, which calved at 3 years with good milk production.

Inter-calving period : 400 to 500 days.

Lactation period : 300 days. (with minimum of ~230 days recorded under top quality Murrah)

Daily lactation in peak period : 14 to 15 litter but upto 31.5 Kg milk production had also been recorded. The elite Murrah buffalo produces above 18-litter milk per day. A peak milk yield of 31.5 kg in a day has been recorded from a champion Murrah buffalo in the All India Milk Yield Competition conducted by the Government of India.

Dry period : About three months. But less than three may be there.

Gestation period : 310 days (average)

The Murrah buffalo is good milk producer, not only in India but also probably in the world (2, 7). The bulls of this breed are extensively used to upgrade the non-descript buffalo stock.

The Govt. Haryana ( India ) had launched an incentive cash prize for farmers to expand export of Murrah buffaloes.



References :

Parihar, M.L.; ‘Major Buffalo Breeds of India’ Pashudhan (Hindi), Vol. 16 No. 01, page 6

Banerjee, G.C.; “Animal Husbandary” 7th ed. (reprited, 1996), p. 10 5 . Published by Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd.
H andbook of Animal Husbandary” 2nd (revised) ed. July 1990, p.
11. published by I.C.A.R., New Delhi.
‘ Performance Recording Programme – Grant of Incentive’, Letter No. 2645-63 HLDB-1, dated 14/08/2003 from the Director, Animal Husbandry, Haryana; and Dairying-cum-Managing Director, Haryana Livestock Development Board, Chandigarh to all the Deputy Directors etc.

The Water Buffalo: New Prospects For An Underutilized Animal (1984)

Ashwani Sharma and Tantia M.S., ‘THE BUFFALO: A valuable genetic resource that needs more attention’ Livestock International, Vol. 3 No. 3 (March 1999) p. 9.

Dr. Daya Singh and Dr. Ziley Singh Rana, ‘Principles of Animal Breeding’ (PASHU PARJANAN KE SINDHANT) 1 ST edition (1991) p. 234.


Provider:

Dr. K.L. Dahiya, Veterinary Surgeon, Regional Artificial
Insemination Centre, Shahzadpur (Ambala)

Photographs:

Dr. K.L. Dahiya, Veterinary Surgeon, Regional Artificial Insemination Centre, Shahzadpur (Ambala)

Other Names:

Anglo-Nubians were developed in England by crossing British goats with bucks of African and Indian origin. The Anglo Nubian is an all-purpose goat, useful for meat, milk and hide production. It is not a heavy milk producer but has a high average butter fat content (between four and five percent). The Anglo Nubian breeding season is much longer than that of the Swiss breeds so it is possible to produce milk year round.

As it is the best suited of the dairy goat breeds to hot conditions, the Anglo Nubian has been used in grading-up programs in many tropical countries to increase the milk and meat production of local breeds.



The Anglo-Nubian is a relatively large, proud, and graceful dairy goat. The Anglo-Nubian goat is named for Nubia, in northeastern Africa. The originally goats imported from Africa, Arabia and India were long-legged, hardy goats that had some characteristics desired by goat breeders in England. English breeders crossed these imported bucks on the common short-haired does of England prior to 1895 to develop the Anglo-Nubian goat. In the United States the breed is usually spoken of as the Nubian.

The Anglo-Nubian is regarded as an “aristocratic” appearing goat and has very long, pendulous ears that hang close to the head. The Anglo-Nubian carries a decidedly Roman nose and is always short-haired.



Any solid or parti-colored coat is permitted in the Anglo-Nubian, but black, red or tan are the most common colors, any of which may be carried on combination with white. Usually there is shorter hair on the Anglo-Nubian males, particularly along the back and on the thigh, than is commonly found on the Swiss breeds.

The udder of the Anglo-Nubian is capacious but is sometimes more pendulous than that of the Swiss breeds. A mature doe should stand at least 30 inches at the withers and weigh 135 pounds or over, while the males should stand at least 35 inches at the withers and weigh at least 175 pounds. The Anglo-Nubian usually gives less milk than the Swiss breeds, but produces a milk of higher butterfat content.



The head is the distinctive breed characteristic, with the facial profile between the eyes and the muzzle being strongly convex. The ears are long (extending at least one inch beyond the muzzle when held flat along the face), wide and pendulous. They lie close to the head at the temple and flare slightly out and well forward at the rounded tip, forming a “bell” shape. The ears are not thick, with the cartilage well defined. The hair is short, fine and glossy.




Reference:

Briggs, Hilton M and D.M. Briggs. 1980. Modern Breeds of Livestock. Forth Edition, MacMillan Company

Mason, I.L. World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds. Third Edition. C.A.B International. 1988

Handbook of Australian Livestock, Australian Meat & Livestock Corporation,1989, 3rd Edition

Promotional Materials. American Dairy Goat Association, PO Box 865, Spindale, NC 28160. Phone: 704-286-3801



Photographs:


Carlos Edaurdo A. Souza, Brazil

Crystal D’Eon, Nova Scotia, Canada