Red Sindhi cattle

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Red Sindhi cattle are the most popular of all Zebu dairy breeds. The breed originated in the Sindh province of Pakistan. They are widely kept for milk production across India, Pakistan, Bangla Desh, Sri Lanka, and other countries. They have been used for crossbreeding with Temperate (European origin) dairy breeds in many countries to combine their Tropical adaptations (heat tolerance, tick resistance, disease resistance, fertility at higher temperatures, etc.) with the higher milk production found in temperate regions. It has been crossed with Jerseys in many places, including India, the United States, Australia, Sri Lanka, etc. Other breeds 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 couple of generations. The resulting cows which are three-quarters Sahiwal and one-quarter Red Sindhi can not be told from pure Sahiwal cattle. The Red Sindhi are red, ranging from a deep reddish brown to a yellowish red, but most commonly a deep red. They are distuished 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.