![Red Sindhi Cow at Pakistan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Red_Sindhi_Cow_at_Pakistan.jpg)
Red Sindhi cattle are the most popular of all
Zebu
The zebu (; ''Bos indicus'' or ''Bos taurus indicus''), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty h ...
dairy breeds. The breed originated in the
Sindh province of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
, they are widely kept for milk production across
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
Sri Lanka, and other countries. 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.
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
Tharparkar (Dhatki/ sd, ٿرپارڪر, ur, ), also known as Thar, is a district in Sindh province in Pakistan headquartered at Mithi. Before Indian independence it was known as the Thar and Parkar district.
The district is the largest in Si ...
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
The zebu (; ''Bos indicus'' or ''Bos taurus indicus''), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty h ...
draft breeds, and with longer, lyre shaped horns. The bulls are usually of a darker color than the cows.
Breeding
It has been crossed with include
Holstein-Friesian
Holstein Friesians (often shortened to Holsteins in North America, while the term Friesians is often used in the UK and Ireland) are a breed of dairy cattle that originated in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Hols ...
,
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
Sahiwal ( Punjabi and ur, ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city of Pakistan by population and the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is appro ...
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
Sahiwal cattle is a breed of zebu cow, named after an area in the Punjab, Pakistan. The cattle is mainly found in Punjab province of Pakistan, and Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, & Rajasthan.
Sahiwal is considered a heat-tolerant cattle breed. ...
.
Red Sindhi cattle are also used for milk production in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, but this race of zebu is not popular as others.
Brazilian Red Sindhi Cattle
Some Red Sindhi cows were imported to the Brazil in the middle of 20th century.
[https://asas.org/docs/default-source/wcgalp-posters/436_paper_8601_manuscript_880_0.pdf ]
See also
*
Tharparkar cattle
Tharparkar (Sindhi: ٿرپارڪر) (also known as White Sindhi, Cutchi and Thari) is a breed of cattle originating in Tharparkar District in Sindh province in present day Pakistan and also found in neighbouring nation of India. It is a dual ...
*
Sahiwal cattle
Sahiwal cattle is a breed of zebu cow, named after an area in the Punjab, Pakistan. The cattle is mainly found in Punjab province of Pakistan, and Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, & Rajasthan.
Sahiwal is considered a heat-tolerant cattle breed. ...
*
Zebu
The zebu (; ''Bos indicus'' or ''Bos taurus indicus''), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty h ...
References
External links
STATUS, CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE OF RED SINDHI CATTLE
{{Authority control
Cattle breeds
Cattle breeds originating in Pakistan
Animal breeds originating in Sindh
Red cattle
Cattle breeds originating in India