FARMER'S NOTEBOOK
Surti buffaloes yield milk with more fat content
M.J. PRABU
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The animals can be stall-fed as well as sent for grazing
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MORE MILK: Buffaloes with first calves yield 6-8 litres of milk per day. — Photo: MPUA
BUFFALO HUSBANDRY is an important source of income and employment for more than 80 per cent of Indian farmers. It is the main plank for the development of dairy industry in India, contributing about 60 per cent of total milk production in India.
With a view to developing a buffalo breed which would be easy to maintain and at the same time yield milk with more fat percentage for small farmers, researchers at the Livestock Research Station (LRS), Vallabhnagar, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur, Rajasthan, have developed a new breed of buffalo named Surti, which can be used both for milk and meat.
The bestbreeds of Surti animals are found in Anand, Nadiad and Baroda districts of Gujarat. They are also distributed in Udaipur and Chittorgarh districts of Rajasthan, according to Prof. R.K. Nagda, Officer-in-Charge, LRS.
"Both the sexes have a fairly broad and long head with characteristic convex curve at the top in between the horns.
The neck is long, thick with a white collar like appearance. In females, the udder is well developed," said Prof. Nagda.
The animals are medium in size with a straight back and generally docile in nature. The skin colour is black or brown.
The animals have a smaller body compared to other breeds such as Murrah, Nili-Ravi and Jafarabadi, according to him.
"The average milk yield is 6-8 litres per day for buffaloes with first calves. The fat content of the milk is about 8-11 per cent. Bulls are heavier than the females and are used for ploughing the fields and for meat," said Prof. Nagda. The animals have a life span of about 20-25 years.
Gestation period
The productive lifespan of the buffaloes is about 12 years after which they become spent animals, according to Prof. Nagda.
"Buffaloes come to heat usually in two and a half years after their birth. Gestation period lasts for about 310 days," he said.
Buffaloes usually give birth to a single calf. The calves are generally weaned after three months of age.
Being hardy by nature the animals are easily adaptable to different climatic conditions. Though the breed is resistant to major infections that afflict cattle, farmers are advised to regularly deworm and vaccinate the animals against foot and mouth disease, which is a common infection among dairy animals, according to Prof. Nagda.
Artificial insemination
Heat detection in buffaloes is done by parading vasectomised bulls twice daily among the herd. Buffaloes in oestrus (sexual impulse) are artificially inseminated.
"Heat detection should be done between 60 and 90 days from the date of last insemination," Prof. Nagda explained.
Feeding the animals
The animals can be stall-fed as well as sent for grazing. They can be fed on a wide variety of green fodder and vegetables along with dry fodder.
They can also be fed with a concentrate mixture of barley, dhal, groundnut and cotton seed cake, according to Prof. Nagda. A herd of Surti animals is being maintained at the LRS. Paid service bulls and frozen semen of surti breeds are available from the research station to farmers who want to inseminate their animals, according to Prof. Nagda.
"Several farmers in the region owning this breed have registered themselves under the Network Project on Buffaloes at Livestock Research Station.
"Those interested can contact the LRS (phone 02957-240223) for purchase of the animals either from the research station or from the registered farmers," he said.
Female buffaloes are priced at Rs.12,000-15,000 (with first calves) and bulls are priced about Rs.10,000 (4-6 years of age). For more information readers may contact Prof. R.K. Nagda, Officer-in-Charge, LRS, Vallabhnagar, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur, Rajasthan, mobile: 94147-34827.
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