Gir
Cow Breed is very social cattle and spend a lot of time licking,
touching and leaning on each other. The bulls tend to protect the
herd and the whole herd protects the calves. The cows seem to rotate
being nurse maids and a large number of the calves stay together with
them, but as soon as there is a disturbance the whole herd will
gallop back to protect them.
The average milk production for the
Gir is 1590 kg per lactation, with a record production of 3182 kg at
4.5% fat.
Distinctive
features of Gir Cow
Body
Size: The origin of the breed is in the Gir forest region and
surrounding districts of Saurashtra region of Gujarat State. It is a
moderate to large size breed. The females average 385 kg with a
height of 130 cm and the males average 545 kg with a height of 135
cm. The average milk yield for the Gir is 1590 kg per lactation, with
a record production of 3182 kg at 4.5% fat in India. In Brazil they
average 3500 kg per lactation, with a world record production of
17.120 kg by the cow Profana de Brasília. The body colour is shining
red to spotted white. Skin is soft, thin, and glossy. Occasionally
animals which are predominantly white with red spots are also seen,
according to Dr. J. V. Solanki, Dean, Veterinary College, Anand
Agricultural University (AAU), Anand, Gujarat.
Head:
The most unique feature of Girs is their convex forehead, which acts
as a cooling radiator to the brain and pituitary gland (source of
growth and reproduction hormones). The animals have a big head with
prominent bulging shield like forehead and a long face.
Ears:
Their ears are long and pendulous, opening to the front and
resembling a curled up leaf. Gir ears are very large and are an
excellent fly and insect swatter.
Horns:
Horns are set well back on their heads and thick at the base. They
grow downwards and backwards with an upward curve.
Color:
The vary in color from pure red to speckles, yellowish red to white
with large red spots. Their undercoat is red.
Skin:
Their skin is darkly pigmented with short glossy hair, very loose and
pliable. They can twitch it anywhere on their body to dislodge
insects and have a whip like tail, which is deadly on insects. They
sweat just like a horse.
Eyes:
A Gir’s eyes are hooded and black pigmented. They can close their
eyelids so it is impossible for insects to annoy them. They have a
lot of loose skin around the eye area.
Feet:
Gir’s feet are black and very hard.
Sheath:
The sheath is supported by a very strong panniculus muscle either
side. The muscle can raise and lower the sheath at will. Sheaths are
very neat and tidy.
Sebum:
Is a substance secreted in the skin, which is greasy and acts as an
insect repellent.
Fertility:
Girs are highly fertile and calve very regularly. Their calves are
born small so calving problems are unheard of.
Hump:
The hump on a Gir is considered to be the largest of the Zebu breeds
and is very well marbled. It is used as a pot roast.
Temperament:
Girs are considered to be the most gentle of the Zebu breeds. They
love being with humans. They adore being brushed and scratched on
their big dew laps, around the head, and between the back legs. Their
temperament is well illustrated in Brasil where the cow will come
into bails to be milked by machines just like any Friesian or Jersey
cow. They are very gregarious and at night form a circle very close
together with their calves sleeping under their necks. Gir cattle are
one of the three Zebu breeds used to develop the American Brahman.
Two of the most famous foundation sires, Manso and Emperor, carried a
high Gir content. This can be seen in their down swept horns, big
humps, straight wide backs, and beautifully sloping, filled out hind
quarters.
The
Gir or Gyr is one of the principal Zebu breeds
originating in India. 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. In Brazil and other South American countries the Gir
is used frequently because, as a Bos indicus breed, it is
resistant to hot temperatures and tropical diseases. It is very known
for its milk producing qualities and is often bred with Friesian cows
to make the Girolando breed.
The
Gir is distinctive in appearance, typically having a rounded and
domed forehead (being the only ultra convex breed in the world), long
pendulous ears and horns which spiral out and back. Gir are generally
mottled with the color ranging from red through yellow to white,
black being the only unacceptable color. They originated in southwest
India in the state of Gujarat and have since spread to neighboring
Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Actually the name is GIR & not GYR as
misspelled by some of the people, GIR is a place famous for last
abode of Asiatic lions, the place is situated about 45 kilo meters
from the district headquarters of Junagadh, in Gujarat state of
India. The breed was kept by local people known as Maldhari for their
livelihood. The breed is known for its distinct appearance, height &
weight and natural beauty which makes it very different from the
Jersey cows etc. The breed is today on the verge of extinction from
India as people of India are using more of buffalo milk then the
cow's milk. (The breed is on verge on extinction due to lack to
breeding programs and irrational crossbreeding with breeds more
common to western nations.) Finding it economically difficult for the
people to keep a gaay in their herd. Today however due to efforts of
social activist Mr. Mansukhbhai Suvagiya (a farmer turned
industrialist and a revolutionary visionary from small village of
Junagadh District) the awareness is created among people of Gujarat
about saving this real pride breed of Gujarat. Mr. Mansukhbhai
Suvagiya along with his other friends have started a plan of breeding
10,00,000 high quality gir gaay in Gujarat to regain the lost
grounds. For this noble cause a trust has been formed in rajkot known
as Jalkranti Trust. The trust as of now carries out two main
activities of Gir Gaay Breeding and Water conservation. The efforts
of this man & his team have started showing results in terms of
increase in the no. of gir gaay and increase in the general awareness
of People. Many of the Swaminarayan Temples have also helped in
preserving this high quality breed from Gujarat, which includes
Charodi Swaminarayan gurukul at Ahmedabad,Bhuwneshwari pith gondal in
the sate of Rajkot,Sagwadi Education & gaushala Charitable trust
at Bhavnagar etc. High quality gir gaay are available in the district
of Junagadh, Bhavnagar, amreli, and Rajkot in the state of Gujarat.
Oestrus
Cycle:
The cows come to heat (oestrus) once in 21 days. The
oestrus period lasts for 24 hrs with
prominent oestrus signs,
unlike in other breeds where the oestrus period can be detected only
by
trained farm hands or veterinary personal. The cows are bred
either by artificial insemination or
natural service by stud
bulls.
Gestation
Period:
A
well-fed Gir heifer can come to first oestrus around its 20-24 month
and can have its first calf as
early as of 36 months of age.
Gestation period lasts for 280-285 days. After calving the animal
gives milk for about 310 days. In a year, a cow gives milk for about
10 months. This breed does not have problems of short lactation. Many
cows yield more than 12 lt of milk a day during peak milking time
with a fat content of about 4.5 per cent.
Gir cows live for 12-15
yrs. and can produce 6-10 calves. There are many cows that
produce
more than 12 calves during their lifespan.The calf can be
sold for Rs.7,000 to 10,000 after four years. The cows are not
susceptible to any infestation and have good general resistance to
disease
and mastitis. The animals are well adapted to hot and
moderately humid climate. Bullocks are comparatively slow but have
good draft power.
Animal
feed:
Farmers
generally keep 2-4 cows. The cows can be fed with dry fodder, green
jowar, bajra straw,
groundnut cake, and a mixture of concentrate
cake made of (ground nut cake and cotton seed
cake). In an effort
to preserve this breed a pure breeding programme has been implemented
by the station progeny-testing programme at the cattle-breeding farm,
Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh (Saurashtra).
More than
12 batches of bulls have been tested and male progenies of the farm
have been
distributed to the surrounding villages. The National
Dairy Development Board, Anand has also launched breeding programmes
for preserving this breed.
Semen from Gir bulls is available at
the Department of Animal Husbandry (A.I Station Rajkot) and
Sabarmati
Ashram Gaushala Project – Bidaj, P.O. Gujarat, Pin. 387 120.
For
further details contact: Dr. J. V. Solanki, Dean, Veterinary College,
Anand Agricultural
University, Anand-388001, email:
jvsolanki@aau.in, phone: 02692-261486
Read
More About Gir Cow Breed
What is also little know is the fact
that Indian cows and buffaloes produce a more nutritious milk
than
the exotic breeds like Jersey and Holstein-Friesian. A recent study
by Karnal-based National
Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources
(NBAGR) showed Indian cows have a rich A2 allele gene
which helps
them produce healthier milk. The frequency of this A2 allele in
Indian breeds is 100 per
cent whereas in exotic cattle breeds it
is less than 60 per cent. Imported breeds posses A1 allele which is
considered to be associated with diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular
diseases. Why do
we want the future generations to be sick with
lifestyle diseases?
Gir
Cow Breed Goes Global Via Brazil
ASDAN
(RAJKOT): Given that the Gir cow is indigenous to Gujarat, local
business should have been milking it to earn foreign exchange. But it
seems far away Brazil is doing a better of this.
The South
American country today has around 50 lakh heads of this unique breed
known for high milk production. Gujarat is estimated to have only
around 3,000 pure breed Gir cows left, according to Satyajit Khachar,
scion of the erstwhile princely state of Jasdan and a known breeder
of the cow.
And now, the Gir breed is set to go global. As Khachar
puts it, Brazil has emerged as the world’s biggest supplier of
improved cattle embryos and semen of Indian origin, now rated among
the best dairy breeds in the world. The demand is particularly high
from African and Southeast Asian countries. The Indian ‘holy cow’
has turned out to be a great money-spinner for Brazil.
The focus
of the dairy industry in Gujarat was on buffalo milk because of its
fat content. So the
Gir breed was neglected, resulting in the
dwindling of both its numbers and pedigree.
Only recently, two
containers with embryos of the breed were flown to Brazil to improve
the
stock of cows there. The embryos were developed in a
laboratory in Bhavnagar which has been
funded at a cost of Rs 2
crore by cattle breeders of Brazil.
The last major export of the
breed to Brazil took place in 1960, after which laws made import
and
export of animals difficult. The South American country has
taken very good care of the breed,
but they need fresh blood every
three to four generations because of which the embryos were
flown
there.
The Bhavnagar laboratory was set up in 2001. Khachar is
exporting the embryos in partnership
with a Brazilian firm. In
Brazil, the Indian cows are known as the Zebu breed. Brazilian
farmers
first shipped three cattle breeds from India – Gir and
Kankrej from Gujarat and Ongole from
Andhra Pradesh, in 1850.
These breeds were essentially for use in agriculture and for beef.
But
they soon found out that Gir cow gave large quantities of
milk. Interestingly, pedigreed Gir cows
in Brazil get the Pure
Origin India (POI) tag. Each animal’s pedigree and DNA is
registered with
Association of Brazilin Zebu Breeders, an apex
body.
