Top Unique Cattle Breeds White & Grey Varieties
Bachaur
This breed is found in Sitamarhi district of Bihar. It has a very close similarity to the Hariana breed. The males are well known for their draft capacity and the ability to thrive under poor conditions of feeding. The cows of this breed are not good milkers.
Gaolao
This breed closely resembles the Ongole breed. The animals are found in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. They are white and light built with medium height and long coffin-shaped skulls. The face is slightly convex in profile. The animals are essentially draft animals. Milk yield in cows is moderate. Some of the good specimens may yield up to 1,000 kg of milk in a lactation of about 400 days. The calving interval is about 16 months. Presently, this breed is restricted to a very small area where it is still popular with the farmers.
Hariana
The main tract of this breed is the Haryana state. The centre of origin is around Rohtak, Hisar and Gurgaon districts. This is the most popular dual-purpose breed of the Indo-Gangetic plains, and is widely spread in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and also in parts of Madhya Pradesh. They are powerful work animals. Good specimens of cows yield up to 1,500 kg of milk per lactation. The average yield is between 600 and 800 kg. The heritability of this trait is 0.15 to 0.30. The age at first calving is 40 to 60 months, depending on management. The intercalving period is 480 to 630 days.
Krishna Valley
The home tract of this breed is the black cotton soil along the River Krishna and the adjoining areas of Ghataprabha and Malaprabha in Karnataka. The breed is also found in the districts of Satara, Miraj and Kolhapur of Maharashtra state, and in Belgaum, Dharwad and Bijapur districts of Karnataka state. They are also found in certain parts of Andhra Pradesh. The bullocks are massive and powerful and good for drafting in heavy soils. They are fairly good milkers. These animals have also been exported to Brazil and parts of the USA, though they have not retained their independent identity in those countries.
Mewati
This breed is found in west Alwar and Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan. They are powerful but docile animals suitable for heavy ploughing and carting. They are similar to the Hariana breed with traces of Gir inheritance. This breed shows an admixture of Gir, Rath and Nagori cattle.
Nagauri
This breed is famous for trotting and as a draft animal. The bullocks are prized for their fast road work. They are prevalent in the district of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. This breed is supposed to have evolved from Hariana and Kankrej breeds. In the Barmer district of Rajasthan, there are good specimens of milch cows of this breed with yields as high as 900 kg per lactation.
Ongole
The native tract of this breed is the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. This is essentially a large muscular breed suitable for heavy draft work. An average yield of 1,000 kg is common. Good specimens have given up to 1,500 kg yield per lactation. The age at first calving is 38 to 45 months with an intercalving period of 470 days. Excellent specimens of this breed have been exported to Brazil where large herds abound. They are known as the Nellore breed in Brazil. They are mostly reputed for their draft traits. Specimens of this breed have also been exported in the past to Sri Lanka, Fiji, Indo-China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the USA. The famous Santa Gertrudis breed evolved in Texas, USA, and has the inheritance of the Ongole breed in its development
Rathi
This is also known as Rath. The animals are mostly localized in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. Good specimens are also found in and around Bikaner district. They are medium-sized dual-purpose animals. Good cows yield up to 1,200 kg of milk per lactation. The bullocks are medium-sized, powerful animals adapted moderately for heavy ploughing and road work.