Re: Breed improvement for tropical dairy

Fiona.Scott@smtpgwy.agric.nsw.gov.au
Tue, 19 Nov 96 17:04:42 EST

Ronald Nigh wrote;

>I have lost the original posting on this so I don't quite recall the
>full request. It is ironic that Pakistan would be buying Canadian
>Holsteins. I believe Pakistan is the original home of the Sahiwal
>Zebu, a milk producing brahma that is now bred in Australia and has
>been crossed in New Zealand with Holstein to create an F-1
>dual-purpose cow for the tropics.

I was under the impression that the Sahiwal/Friesian cross was
originally bred in Australia (why did they breed them in NZ ? I
wouldn't have thought of NZ as having any tropical areas, but then
I've never been there). No mention of the NZ version on the site,
perhaps an oversight that warrants correction.

I found the following information at
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/
a very comprehensive site on breeds of livestock

Australian Friesian Sahiwal

This breed is being developed in Australia by the Queensland
Government for use in the tropical areas.
The breed was evolved using the Sahiwal, a dairy strain of Zebu
from Pakistan, and the Australian Holstein-Friesian.

Since the 1960's when research work began on this breed, notable
progress has been achieved towards the objective of combining tick
resistance and heat tolerance with reliable milk production and
fertility. It has now been extensively tested in the tropical and
sub-tropical areas of Australia. Under these conditions, it
outperforms the Holstein Friesian by approximately 15 percent.

Average milk yield is 3,000 litres for mature cows. Milk quality
is good - protein level is 3.4 percent and butterfat is approximately
four percent.
Limited numbers are available for export, however, semen is
readily available.
The photographs and information contained on this page are
provided courtesy of the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation,
227 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 Postal Address: Box 4129, GPO
Sydney, NSW 2001. Phone: (02) 260-3111 (or 61 2 260-3111 from
overseas) Fax: (02) 267-6620 or (61 2 267-6620)

====================================================
The same site has a listing for the Gir (although not the Brazilian Gir)

Gir
The Gir is one of the principal Zebu or Bos indicus breeds in India
and is used for both diary and beef production. It has been used locally in
the improvement of other breeds including the Red Sindhi and the Sahiwal.
It was also one of the breeds used in the development of the Brahman breed
in North America.

The Gir is distinctive in appearance, typically having a rounded and
domed forehead, long pendulous ears and horns which sweep back and spiral
up. Gir are generally mottled with the color ranging from red to white.
They originated in southwest India in the state of Gujerat and have since
spread to neighboring Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

The females average 385 kg with a height of 130 cm and the males
average 545 kg and a height of 135 cm. The average milk production for the
Gir is 1590 kg per lactation, with a record production of 3182 kg at 4.5%
fat.

Reference:
Genus Bos: Cattle Breeds of the World, 1985, MSO-AGVET (Merck &
Co., Inc.), Rahway, N.J.

Mason, I.L. 1996. A World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types
and Varieties. Fourth Edition. C.A.B International. 273 pp.

=======================================================

Regards,
Fiona Scott
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