Dangi
The home tract of this breed is the Ahmednagar and Nasik districts of Maharashtra. They have usually broken red and white or black and white colour. The animals are medium in size with deep bodies. The head is usually small with a slightly protruding forehead. The muzzle is large, the ears are small, and the horns are short and thick. Though the cows are not good milkers, the bullocks are popular in heavy rainfall tracts.
Deoni
This is an admixture of Gir, Dangi and local animals. Its native tract is in the western Andhra Pradesh. The bullocks are suitable for heavy cultivation. Certain farmers have selected cows for high milk productivity. They are quite popular in the tracts of former Hyderabad state which now forms parts of Andhra Pradesh and adjoining Karnataka.
Gir
This is a native of Gujarat. It is also found in Maharashtra and adjacent Rajasthan. Its peculiar features are protruding broad and long forehead and pendulous frontwards-turned ears. The popular colour is white with dark red or chocolate-brown patches distributed all over the body. Entire red colour is also encountered although it is mottled with yellowish-red to almost black patches. Gir cows are good milkers. The milk yield ranges from 1,200 to 1,800 kg. The heritability for milk yield is 0.20 to 0.30. The age at first calving varies from 45 to 54 months and the intercalving period from 515 to 600 days. The Gir breed has been most popular for export to other parts of the world. In Brazil where large herds are found, it is known as Gyr. Brazil has also evolved a strain called Indubrasil which is a cross between Gir and Kankrej. Gir animals are highly prized by Brazilian breeders and they have a Breed Society. Gir has also been exported to the USA, especially to Texas, Florida and Louisiana states.
Nimari
The Nimari breed is an admixture of Gir and Khillari. It is found in the Nimar tract of Madhya Pradesh and the adjoining parts of Maharashtra. The colour is usually red with large flashes of white on various parts of the body. Sometimes light red or white patches are also found. The head is moderately long with a somewhat bulging forehead. The horns usually emerge in a backward direction and are similar to those in the Gir breed. The body is long with a straight back. The peculiarity of the animals is the hooves; they can stand rough wear on stony ground. The breed is hence popular on account of its working capacity in rough areas. The annual milk yield is 450 to 500 kg, and they are more draft-type animals.
Red Sindhi
The home tract of this breed is the Karachi and Hyderabad districts of Pakistan. However, a number of herds of this breed are found in certain institutions in the country. Red Sindhi are small in size and are very good milkers. They have a compact frame with round drooping quarters. The colour is red with the shades varying from dark red to light. Specks of white colour are sometimes seen on the dewlaps and occasionally on the forehead. Milk production in the herds maintained in the institutions ranges from 1,250 to 1,800 kg. The heritability for this trait is 0.30 to 0.35. Age at first calving is 39 to 50 months and the calving interval is of 425 to 540 days. Red Sindhi has also been exported out of its native tract to many other parts of the world including Sri Lanka, Tanzania, the Philippines, the USA, Malaysia, Iraq, Burma and Indo-China. The red Sindhi breed has been used for crossbreeding purposes to develop new breeds such as Karan Swiss at the NDRI, Kamal.
Sahiwal
This is a native of Pakistan. The breeding tract of this breed was the Montogomery district which is now named Sahiwal district. By far it is the best breed of the subcontinent. It is comparatively a heavy breed with a symmetrical body and loose skin when compared with Red Sindhi which it closely resembles. The animals are usually long and fleshy and heavier in build. The colour is reddish dunn or pale red, sometimes flashed with white patches. The distinguishing feature between Sahiwal and Red Sindhi is the muzzle. Red Sindhi has a dark-coloured muzzle. whereas Sahiwal has lighter coloured muzzle. Sahiwal has also a whitish ring along the eyes. The muzzle and eyelashes are light in colour. A number of herds of this breed are maintained in India. The milk yield ranges from 1,400 to 2,500 kg. The hero ability of this trait is 0.2 to 0.3. The age at first calving ranges from 37 to 48 months and the calving interval is from 430 to 580 days. Sahiwal is one of the most popular breeds of the sub-continent. It has been exported to Sri Lanka, Kenya, and many countries in Latin America and the West Indies where a new breed called Jamaica Hope has been evolved out of Sahiwal and Jersey crossbreeds.