What are desi cows? Which is the best breed of Desi cows in India?

Indigenous Desi Cows in India - Detailed information

Indigenous Desi Cows in India

There are many misconceptions about the desi cows, their milk and the A2 protein. As consumers are becoming more aware of the desi cows like Gir cow, Sahiwal Cow, Tharparkar Cow, etc, confusion regarding the desi and jersey cows is also increasing. Various vendors are selling the ghee and milk products of jersey cow under the name of Indian cattle breeds. So what are desi cows? What are the differences between Desi cows and Jersey cows? Which are the different breeds of desi cows?

What is a desi cow?

Desi cows are the native domestic cows of the Indian Subcontinent. A few distinctive features that these cows have are : hump on their back and a large dewlap. These cows are very used to the weather conditions of the tropical and hot Indian terrain. Hence, they can live comfortably in India. The A2 protein which is a very essential protein for the human body is present in the milk of desi cows. The urine and dung of desi cows are known to have many medicinal properties that are used in ayurvedic medical treatments.

Which type of cow gives more milk in India?

Different breeds of cows yield different quantities of milk. The original and pure breed Indigenous Desi Cows from India are known to produce 4–8 litres milk every day depending upon their cycle of lactation. There are some breeds which yield only 2 to 3 litres of milk as well. There are sure to be some exceptions. There have been incidences where a cow has also given 40+litres of milk in a single day. Gir cow is known to yield anywhere between 5 to 12 litres of milk a day. Sahiwal cow is known to produce 6 to 11 litres per day. Rathi cow is known to produce 3-6 litres of milk per day.

Which is the best desi cow? What is the best cow breed?

Desi Cows or Deshi Cows are the native Indian Cows which are very popular for the nutritional value of the milk they produce. Some desi cows are more popular than others due to the lack of awareness about other indigenous Indian cows. In recent times, Gir cows have gained tremendous popularity for their nutritious A2 milk and milk products. But there are other desi cows which yield highly nutritious milk which also contains the A2 protein. Sahiwal, Tharparkar, Rathi, Badri, Red Sindhi etc. all yield milk which has A2 protein. There are some cows like Khillar which are naturally built for the farm work which requires tremendous strength. They produce less quantity of milk due to which they are not very popular in the commercial milk market. To conclude, all purebred desi cows are superior when it comes to the nutrition value of their milk, thus making all of them the best breed of cows as compared to imported Jersey/Holstein breeds.

What are the differences between Desi cows and Jersey cows?

Desi Cows are the domestic cows found in the Indian subcontinent. These cows have been a source for milk, cow urine and cow dung in the Indian lifestyle since ages. The presence of desi cows is considered holy as well as medicinal in the Indian culture.

Jersey cows are a hybrid which was formed by the cross-breeding of the wild animal ‘Urus’ with cows of various breeds. This crossbreeding was done in Europe with the motive to obtain high quality and high quantity of meat. Modern-day Jersey and HF cows are the said crossbreed. While the desi cow’s milk contains A2 protein, these foreign cows’ milk contains the A1 protein. The cow urine and dung of the foreign cow are not considered to be medicinal by experts in Ayurvedic medicine and Panchagavya therapy..

Which are the different cow breeds in India?

There are 43 registered Desi Cow breeds in India by the NBAGR. Here is the complete list.

Breed of Cow Native
1 Amritmahal Karnataka
2 Bachaur Bihar
3 Bargur Tamilnadu
4 Dangi Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh
5 Deoni Maharashtra and Karnataka
6 Gaolao Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh
7 Gir Gujrat
8 Hallikar Karnataka
9 Hariana Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan
10 Kangayam Tamilnadu
11 Kankrej Gujarat and Rajasthan
12 Kenkatha Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh
13 Kherigarh Uttar Pradesh
14 Khillar Maharashtra and Karnataka
15 Krishna Valley Karnataka
16 Malvi Madhya Pradesh
17 Mewati Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh
18 Nagori Rajasthan
19 Nimari Madhya Pradesh
20 Ongole Andhra Pradesh
21 Ponwar Uttar Pradesh
22 Punganur Andhra Pradesh
23 Rathi Rajasthan
24 Red Kandhari Maharashtra
25 Red Sindhi On organized farms only
26 Sahiwal Punjab and Rajasthan
27 Siri Sikkim and West Bengal
28 Tharparkar Rajasthan
29 Umblachery Tamilnadu
30 Vechur Kerala
31 Motu Orissa,Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh
32 Ghumusari Orissa
33 Binjharpuri Orissa
34 Khariar Orissa
35 Pulikulam Tamilnadu
36 Kosali Chhattisgarh
37 Malnad Gidda Karnataka
38 Belahi Haryana and Chandigarh
39 Gangatiri Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
40 Badri Uttarakhand
41 Lakhimi Assam
42 Ladakhi Jammu and Kashmir
43 Konkan Kapila Maharashtra and Goa


Where can I buy pure Desi Cow Ghee?

To buy 100% pure Desi Gir Cow Ghee made using the traditional Vedic process, click here

What is Desi Cow Ghee Price?

Desi Cow Ghee starts at Rs. 549/- Click here to check the prices for all our products.

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8 comments

Please say by whom these 3 above pictures have posted!!

Jayanti

Nice, important information about Desi cow and related products. https://www.whytefarms.com/our-farms.html

Whyte Farms

Can I get Desi cow milk in Ghana, West Africa?

Thomas

Super

BHAGYALASHMI

We wish to purchase about 75 to 80 desi cows. Those who can provide these with prices may email me.

S. Raghavan

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