Animal husbandry is a common practice in agricultural areas because Bhadwari animals are often use for ploughing fields, and dairy animals can produce milk, which provides extra income to the farmers. Milk is a basic household necessity, which is why farmers raise cattle to sell milk. North India is famous for this practice.
North India has a few buffalo breeds, including the murrah and bhadwari, and both of them have different origins and characteristics. Murrah is found in Haryana, while Bhadwari has its origins in Uttar Pradesh. However, there are other mix breeds as well, and farmers choose according to their pockets.
The Murrah buffalo is said to the best breed of buffalo. And farmers prefer it the most due to its physical traits and milk production capacity. Original Murrah breeds are hard to find, so if you need to choose the correct and original breed, you should know their characteristics.
The bhadwari breed, like the Murrah, is a water buffalo that produces approximately 56 per cent of the nation’s total milk production and 64 per cent of global milk production. Then why do farmers still prefer the Murrah breed over the Bhadwari?
Let’s see what makes the Murrah the best breed.
All about Murrah
Murrah is a prominent breed of buffalo in north India and one of the best at producing milk. Due to its presence in the Haryana districts of Fatehabad, Gurgaon, Jind, Jhajhar, Hisar, and Rohtak, it is also know as the Harayya buffalo. The breed is also present in the Punjabi districts of Nabha and Patiala, in addition to Delhi.
White markings can be seen on the face, tail, and limbs of murrah buffalo. Jet black is the most common colour. One of this breed’s identifying features is its tightly curving horn. The head and neck are quite long, about the size of the body. Women have petite, delicate, well-defined heads.
The hips are large, and the front and back regions sag. The buffalo cows of this breed are among India’s most productive producers of milk and butterfat. Butter contains 7% fat. Each lactation results in an average milk output of 1500–2500 kg, or 6.8 kg per day.
Murrah can bear any climatic condition across India, and almost every state has some percentage of this buffalo breed. If we talk about diseases, Murrah has the lowest risk of catching and spreading animal diseases as compared to cross-breed cows. This buffalo gives more milk and has greater nutritional value, so the milk can be overprice in some regions.
A Murrah buffalo’s first service begins at age 943 days, and its lactation lasts 305 days in total. 7.3% of the fat in Murray buffalo milk is cholesterol. A first child is typically 4 years old. Despite variations in milk yield due to maintenance procedures and districts, large herds have consistently produced 1800 kg on average. Murrah is typically regard as a high milk producer if their lactation periods are longer. The initial Murrah has a six-month dry phase.
All about Bhadwari
Bhadwari is a breed of buffalo from Uttar Pradesh, India. That is raise primarily for milk production in the districts of Agra and Etawah, as well as Bhind and Morena in Madhya Pradesh. Particularly well-known for the substantial amount of buttermilk fat present in their milk is the Bhadwari buffalo (which ranges from 6 to as high as 13%).
The medium-sized Bhadawari buffaloes have wedge-shaped bodies. Their heads are rather light and tiny, protruding outward between the horns and dipping somewhat downward toward the forehead. In males, the head is a little bit bigger and rougher. They typically have sparse, copper-coloured hair that is black at the roots and reddish-brown at the tips.
A distinguishing characteristic of these animals is the presence of two white lines on the bottom side of the neck. Their horns have points that are curve upward and somewhat outward, parallel to the neck.
Although their total lactation yield is lower and their milk production is not very high, up to 13% of their milk has been show to contain fat. The quality of milk is not good as compared to murrah breed. Their graded breed is readily available, and that is why the quality of milk is more affected.
Conclusion
The milk quality and quantity are the most important factors that make the murrah the preferred breed over the bhadwari in North India. As a result, farmers prefer to invest more in murrah to make a good profit. Farmers have chosen this breed for good results as the price of milk also gets affect due to the quality. For example, if the murrah breed milk is of Rs. 50 to 60, bhadwari breed milk would cost around Rs. 30 to 40, and this leads to a loss in the long run.