I just can’t resist stories about miniature livestock. Despite the fact that we’re still getting 250 hits a week from people looking for the pocket pigs we mentioned in a one-line throwaway post two years ago. Or maybe because of that. But it is a serious thing:
…miniature Herefords consume about half that of a full-sized cow yet produce 50% to 75% of the rib-eyes and fillets, according to researchers and budget-conscious farmers.
Which all reminds me of the dwarf cattle I saw on Socotra some years back. I wonder if anything is being done with them. And with what I suppose must be their relatives in the Dhofar region of southern Oman. I can’t imagine they’ll long survive the rapid development that seems to be going on in both places.
No need for genetic engineering… try Shetland cattle… bred for hardiness
http://www.shetlandcattle.org.uk/small.htm
Crofters in the Shetland Islands depended on this cow’s milk and beef for their very survival, and in the past it has worked in the field too. Due to the harsh environment of the Islands the Shetland cow has developed into a small, hardy animal, able to thrive on poor grazing, and with a high natural resistance to disease. For its owners to survive it had to be versatile – to produce a calf every year of its life, which often extended into its twenties.
Most Shetlands are black and white – a result of breeders’ preferences 60 or so years ago – but red and white is also now firmly established, with grey and brindled cattle reappearing in small numbers. The original Shetlands would have been seen in a variety of colours. The Shetland has delicately shaped inward and slightly upward curving horns (appropriately Viking style) but can be polled if preferred. It stands, on average, 48†(1.25m) high though the truly traditional type can be much smaller.
A lifeline was thrown to the breed when in 1971 the Rare Breeds Survival Trust was formed. By this time, pedigree recording on the islands had ceased. Work by the RBST through the 1970’s identified pure bred animals and in 1981 an annual herd book was once again produced. It is no longer endangered but is still Category 4, At Risk.
I’m confused. Who said anything about genetic engineering? And lots of rarer breeds — not just Shetlands — are small and thrifty, one reason why smallholders liked them.
There is a mini cattle breed in Nepal called Aachhame measuring about one meter high and producing 1-2 litre of milk along with one fourth consumption of native Nepalese breed of cattle. The details are can be obtained from DAD-IS.
Regards to every body
DR BKP Shaha
There is a very small breed of cattle in Kerala India called Vechur. This is in the DAD list of breeds. The cows produce about 3 litres of milk a day. The average weight of the animal is around 135 kg. They are very heat tolerant and resistant to many diseases. The breed was almost extinct and due to the efforts of Prof. Sosamma Iype and her team the breed could be revived, evaluated and characterised. Now the relevance of the breed is more with the global warming, reduced grazing area and lower availability of byproducts of cultivation.