Red Sandhi

Cattle:

Red Sandhi

Cattle: Bos (primigenius) Indicus

Weight: : Male: 530 kg; Female: 325 kg;

Scientific name: Bos taurus indicus

Height: : Male: 132 cm; Female: 115 cm;

Higher classification: Zebu

Rank: Breed

Other names: Red Karachi

                         Sindhi

                         Malir

Origin: Pakistan, India

Distribution: Worldwide

Use: Dairy

Skin Colour: Brick Red

Coat: Red Brown

Description:The Red Sindhi range in color from a deep reddish brown to a yellowish red, but most commonly a deep red. They are distinguished from the other dairy breed of Sindh, the Tharparkar or White Sindhi, both by color and form, the Red Sindhi is smaller, rounder, with a more typical dairy form, and with short, curved horns, while the Tharparkar are taller with a shape more typical of Zebu draft breeds, and with longer, lyre shaped horns.The bulls are usually of a darker color than the cows.

Breeding: It has been crossed with include Holstein-Friesian, Brown Swiss and Danish Red. It has also been used to improve beef and dual purpose cattle in many tropical countries, as it is sufficiently meaty to produce good beef calves in such crosses and the high milk production helps give a fast-growing calf which is ready for market at one year. It is somewhat smaller than the very similar Sahiwal and produces a little less milk per animal as a result. This has caused it to lose favor with some commercial dairies in India and Pakistan, which have been phasing out their Red Sindhi herds by breeding to Sahiwal bulls for a few generations. The resulting cows, which are three-quarters Sahiwal and one-quarter Red Sindhi, can not be distinguished from pure Sahiwal cattle. Red Sindhi cattle are also used for milk production in Brazil, but this race of zebu is not popular as others.

Brazilian Red Sindhi Cattle: Some Red Sindhi cows were imported to the Brazil in the middle of 20th century.