Bhadawari
- Origin & Breeding Tract
- Population
- Physical Characteristics
- Biometry
- Production Traits
- Reproduction Traits
- Housing Management & Practices
Bhadawari buffaloes are recognized for high fat content in their milk, which goes as high as 14 %. Zachariah (1941) had first described this breed as “Bhadawan” buffalo –the best breed of buffaloes in Uttar Pradesh found in the districts of Agra and Etah (Central India). However, the popularity of this breed was known to the world by the detailed description given by Kaura (1950, 1961). Bhadawari Buffaloes are found in the ravines of Yamuna and Chambal rivers spread over in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The Bhadawari breeding tract was a part of the erstwhile Bhadawar estate from where the name of these animals originated. The Bhadawari buffaloes have adapted to the harsh conditions of the ravines with undulating topography, thorny and scanty bushes, climatic stress and draught conditions. They are said to be resistant to many tropical bovine diseases. The buffaloes are of medium size with medium to low milk yield but the fat content as high as 13 % (Singh and Desai 1962). Because of its small size these animals can be reared even by marginal and landless farmers. The male animals of this breed are considered to be one among the best for ploughing the marshy paddy fields and the mortality rate in the calves is quite low as compared to other breeds.
The animals can easily tolerate the extreme weather conditions in the ravines where maximum temperature goes up to 48oC. Unlike Murrah buffaloes they do not demand frequent bath and wallowing, but enjoy it if given a chance. Bhadawari are reported to be a regular breeder giving a calf per year in the field condition. They have comparatively low milk yield but the milk tastes sweet with high fat and a flavor that is unmatched. Due to high butter fat content the milk of this breed is highly suited for ghee making, which is the common village industry.
Bhadawari breeding tract
Kaura (1961) has described that “the home of this breed is the Bhadawar Estate, part of Bah tehsil in Agra District and the adjoining areas of Gwalior State. Etawah district is not the original homeland of this breed although Bhadawari buffaloes are found scattered here and there in the ravines of Jamuna and Chambal rivers and individual specimen is found in other parts of the district as well. The Bhadawari breeding tract was a part of the erstwhile Bhadawar estate from where the name of these animals originated. As per the description of Kaura (1961), the popularity of this breed was confined to the districts of Agra, Kanpur, Etawah, Jalaun and partly Jhansi. In Etwah district people generally preferred buffaloes of black colour as they yield more milk and they call it Bhadawari. In fact it is an admixture of the Murrah and the Bhadawari which has resulted in the increase of milk yield with proportionate decrease in fat percent.
Kushwaha et.al., (2007) conducted the survey of Bhadawari breeding tract and reported the presence of Bhadawari animals in Agra, Etawah, Jaluan, Aurriya, Jhansi and Lalitpur districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bhind and Morena Districts of Madhya Pradesh (Fig. 1.). The Bah tehsil of Agra, Chakar Nagar and Barhpura block of Etawah, Ambah and Porsa tehsil of Morena and Mehgaon and Ater tehsil of Bhind district are found to be the high density zones of Bhadawari buffaloes
Population of Bhadawari buffaloes was 1.139 lakhs during the year 1977 in Uttar Pradesh. It reduced to 0.982 lakh in year 1991 showing overall decline of 17.78 percent during the period, whereas, during the same period, the buffalo population in UP increased by 20.9 percent. Survey conducted under Network project on Bhadawari buffaloes (Kushwaha et. al. 2007) revealed a steep decline in the number of Bhadawari buffaloes over the years. Ambah and Porsa tehsils of Morena districts were earlier known for the best quality Bhadawari animals but presently it is difficult to find pure Bhadawari animals in the area. A similar situation prevailed in Bhind district. The Etawah district that lies in the center of the breeding tract has only 8-9 Bhadawari buffaloes per village left. In Lalitpur district, the survey of 20 villages indicated the presence of only 45 (2.25 per village) Bhadawari buffaloes. A similar trend was also reported by Pundir et al. (1997) who conducted the survey of 97 villages in Agra, Bhind, Etawaha and Morena districts and found 2-5 Bhadawari animals per village. Based on the survey conducted in 5 blocks of Etawah and Agra district Sharma et al. (2005) reported, that a total of 1373 Bhadawri buffaloes were available there.
Survey conducted by various workers clearly indicated that the number of Bhadawari animals is declining at an alarming rate and only a few thousands now remain in the field. Kushwaha et al. (2007) reported that the estimated Bhadawari population in the breeding tract as 30,000. However, 18th livestock breed-wise census 2007 reported a quite high number (7.24 lakh) of Bhadawari buffaloes (http//www.dahd.nic.in). Acute shortage of Bhadawari bulls, comparatively low milk yield and lactation length, non availability of the grazing land, mechanization of agricultural operations and interest of the farmers towards the Murrah buffalo were reported (Kushwaha et al 2007) as the major reasons for decline in the population.
Some of the important characteristics is described as follows: –
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Body weight and Growth Rate
The mean values of body weight at birth, 6, 9,12,18,24 months and at first calving are presented below.Average adult body weights of Bhadawari animals are comparatively lower than any other recognized buffalo breed of the country. Average birth weight of Bhadawari calves, maintained at IGFRI, was recorded as 27.30 and 26.50 kg in male and female respectively . Based on the reports of farms at Kanpur, Mathura and Bharari (Jhansi), birth weight of male and female Bhadawari calves were reported as 25.26 and 24.86 kg, respectively (Katiyar (1987). Average adult body weight of Bhadawari buffaloes were reported as 425.7±7.7 and 385.5 kg, by Singh and Desai (1962) and Bhat (1981), respectively. Average adult body weight of male and female were recorded as 422.0±25.40 and 402.00±12.80 kg, respectively in the IGFRI herd. Average body weight of male and females at different ages recorded at IGFRI ,Jhansi are presented in the following Table .
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| Stage | Male(Mean +- S.E) Kg | Female(Mean+S.E) Kg |
| At Birth | 27.30±0.85 | 26.50±1.17 |
| 3 months | 43.00±0.99 | 40.90±1.44 |
| 6 months | 67.80±2.58 | 62.75±3.30 |
| 9 months | ||
| 12 months | 114.35±4.63 | 108.75±3.42 |
| 18 months | 180.00±6.48 | 168.20±5.95 |
| 24 months | 242.5±9.93 | 232.14±8.33 |
| At first calving | – | 326.71±10.83 |
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Morphological Characteristics
Various values of morphological traits of Bhadwari buffaloes like body length, height at withers, heart girth and adult weight reported by various workers are given in the following table.The mean values of the morphological traits reported by various workers are comparable.
Various values of morphological traits of Bhadwari buffaloes like body length, height at withers, heart girth and adult weight reported by various workers are given in the following table.The mean values of the morphological traits reported by various workers are comparable.
| Characteristics | Kushwaha et al.,2007 | Goel et al.,2003 | Pundir et al.,1996 | Singh& Desai,1962 | |
| Body Length(cm) | 134.38 | 138.78 | 142.6 | 137.0 | |
| Height at withers(c) | 123.90 | 126.33 | 127.3 | – | |
| Hearth Girth(cm) | 184.21 | 185.02 | 198.0 | 188.7 | |
| Birth Weight(Kg) | |||||
| Adult weight | Male 422.0±25.40
Female 402.00±12.80 |
– | Male 425.7±7.7
Female 385.5 |
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| Traits | Number | Mean±S.E |
| Average lactation length(days) | 188 | 291.46±5.27 |
| Average lactation milk yield (kg) | 188 | 1231.93±27.65 |
| Average daily milk yield (kg) | – | |
| Peak milk yield (kg) | 188 | 6.93±0.09 |
| Average Fat% | – | 8.09%(range5.5 to 14%) |
| Average SNF% | – | 10.90 % |
The average fat content recorded in the Bhadawari buffaloes was comparatively higher than the most of the Indian Buffalo breeds (table 2) except the Toda buffaloes in which average fat content of 8.27% with range of 4.8 to 14% was reported by Kadirvel (2004). Average SNF and TS contents were 10.90 and 19.00 5 respectively, in Bhadawari buffaloes which are comparatively higher than any other breeds of buffalo.
Milk composition of different breeds of Buffaloes (table 2)
| Breed | Fat % | SNF % | TS % | Reference |
| Bhadawari | 8.09 | 10.90 | 19.00 | IGFRI herd (Table 4) |
| Bhadawari | Up to 13 % | – | – | Kaura R L (1961) |
| Bhadawari | 8.0 | 10.98 | – | Singh and Desai (1962) |
| Bhadawari | 7.53 | 9.55 | – | Pundir et al (1996) |
| Bhadawari | 8.6 | – | 17.00 | Nivsarkar et al (2000) |
| Bhadawari | 7.72 | 11.82 | 19.54 | Kushwaha et al., (2007) |
| Murrah | 6.62 | 10.69 | 17.40 | Kundu et al., (2007) |
| Murrah | 6.65 | 10.18 | 16.84 | Bhonsale et al., (2003) |
| Nili Ravi | 6.8 | – | – | Nivsarkar et al (2000) |
| Jaffarabadi | 7.6 | – | – | Nivsarkar et al (2000) |
| Mehsana | 7.0 | – | – | Nivsarkar et al (2000) |
| Surti | 7.5 to 8.3 | – | – | Nivsarkar et al (2000) |
| Nagpuri | 7 to 8.5 | – | – | Nivsarkar et al (2000) |
| Pandharpuri | 7.0 | – | – | Nivsarkar et al (2000) |
| Toda | 8.27 (4.8 to 14 %) | – | – | Kadirvel (2004) |
| Swamp | 5.10 to 8.14 | 7.60 to 14.60 | 15.74 to 19.00 | A.A.U. (2004-05) |
| Seasonal breeding has been recognized as one of the problems of practical importance owing its direct impact on the reproduction and as well as production efficiency of buffaloes. Sharma et al (2003) have reported that 50 percent of the Bhadawari buffaloes expressed heat during winter season while only 2.1 percent expressed estrus in summer months. Dwivedi (1991) observed that Bhadawari buffaloes are seasonal breeder, maximum number of animals were bred between September and December with highest percentage (26%) in October and lowest in May (0.67%).
Reproductive performance reported by various workers is summarized in the following tables. . 1. Male
. 2. Female
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Housing & Management Practices
Information collected form the farmers (Kushwaha et al., 2007) of different villages to know the management practices and feed and fodder availability in the area and reported that the farmers who were rearing buffaloes, only 7.69% had Bhadawari buffaloes and the rest (92.30%) had Murrah and their crosses or deshi type .
Housing
The animals are usually housed in mud houses with floor plastered with mud and dung and roof thatched with straws, kadbi (strover) and other locally available material. The thatched shelter leans along the sidewalls of houses. Mangers are constructed in open, which may be round or square shaped and permits individual feeding only. Wherever tree is there near the house, mangers are built underneath it. Buffaloes are tied near the manger in the morning and evening. During hot sun and rainy days the buffaloes are kept inside. About 44.1% farmers had Kachcha (mud) houses, 30.3% had pucca house and 25.6% thatched sheds for their animals. About 57.4% of the farmers had animal sheds as part of their residence and rest 43.7% had separate house for animals.
Feeding
About 62.1% of farmers kept their animals in semi-intensive (grazing + stall fed) and the rest were stall-fed. The calves are allowed to suckle their mother and weaning is not practiced. Dehorning was not practiced in the field. Deworming was reported to be done by only 16.9% of the farmers. Almost similar findings have also been reported by Pundir et al. (1996) and Mahanta et al. 2006.
Bhadawari buffaloes in the past, used to graze extensively in the undulated topography of ravines. Their compact small body and smaller legs (Bhadawari have also been described as “Suar Gori” meaning pig like legs) help in making balance while grazing in undulated ravine topography. Some 20-30 years ago, these ravines were seeded with Babul, which have taken roots and proliferated extensively. Farmers complained that the Babul trees have destroyed the natural grassland and it does not allow grasses to grow under its canopy. Moreover, the prickly thorns prevent its use as fodder besides restricting the movement in ravines. Hence, buffaloes are mostly stall-fed these days, with locally available roughage like sorgham kadbi and wheat straw. The chopped fodder/kadbi is liberally mixed with water and mixing of concentrate at regular interval is done to induce feeding. The concentrate mixture is soaked in the evening left overnight and then boiled in the morning and fed to the animals after cooling. The practice of boiling concentrate is discontinued once the buffalo successfully conceives. Farmers have a belief that boiling of concentrate helps keep buffalo warm and easy conception. Buffaloes are offered water twice a day.
Breeding
Almost all the farmers of the area adopted natural service (85.6%), while very few (4.1%) adopted artificial insemination and 10.2 % farmers were adopting both natural and AI as per the availability. Artificial insemination was done using Murrah semen provided by State Govt. There was an acute shortage of Bhadawari bulls in the area. Natural service was done by Murrah bulls kept by Nut community or the Bhadawari male available in the village. Keeping of bulls by the farmers is looked down upon by the society (in some villages of Bhind district), which forces the farmers to depend on the Nut community for providing service of bulls.