What is the History of Dhanni Cattle?

The Dhanni cows are a multipurpose breed of cattle originating in Punjab state of Pakistan but the breed is popular in India too (mostly the cattle is uced in Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum and Rawalpindi, Fatehjang and tehsil Kot Fateh Khan, also it is used in other parts of the Indian subcontinent. ). It’s used for many purposes in its native location.

The breed is used for ploughing and also for meat milk and draught purposes . The Dhanni cows have many color patterns. Plus they’ve got names that are different depending on their color patterns.

The following variations in body color of Dhanni animals are generally found:

• predominately white coat with black spots (Chitta Burga)
• predominately black coat with white spots (Kala Burga)
• white mottles with brown and black patches (Nuqra)
• Greater part is red with white spotting on certain parts of the body (Ratta Burga).

Currently the Dhanni cattle are mainly found in Jhelum, Attock and Rawalpindi districts in Punjab province of Pakistan.

Establishment of BLPRI, Kherimurat is working for genetic development, and conducting research on Dhanni Cattle production and reproduction.

Objectives of Dhanni cattle farm at Khermurat:

• To establish a centre for the supply of pure bred stud bulls and cows of superior quality of Dhanni bred for distribution of reliable breeders.
• To develop and improve the Dhanni blood and to fix all its desirable characteristics.
•  To carry out research, scientific breeding and improvement according to the latest practices adopted in all advanced countries.
•  By selective breeding to improve the traction power of these animals and also to improve the milk yield of the cows.

What Are the Characteristics of Dhanni cattle?

The Dhanni cattle are a sturdy animal having great agility and they are very suitable for light draught work. They are creatures that are extremely active and hardy.

Dhanni cattle are of medium sized animals with compact sized body. They have comparatively straight back, small head and fine skin.

There are many color patterns of the Dhanni cattle, but majority of the animals consists of black or red/brown spots on a white coat. Both bulls and cows usually have horns, and their horns are stumpy.

They have ears that are alert but compact. They’ve hump dewlap and tight sheath.

Average live body weight of the mature bulls is around 400 kg. The cows are pretty smaller than the bulls. And average live body weight of the mature cows is around 300 kg. It is mainly a draught breed and frequently seen racing in locally popular bull cart races. A racing bull becomes very precious and sometimes may be sold at five times the price of a regular bull.

The Dhanni cattle are multipurpose animals. They are used for both milk and meat production. And also used for draught purposes, including ploughing.

The cows are pretty good milk producers. And on average the cows can produce around 1,000 to 1,200 kg of milk per lactation.

References:

roysfarm.com
http://www.uaf.edu.pk
learnnaturalfarming.com
http://afs.okstate.edu
https://wiki2.org