Cattle and Buffaloes Farming

Cattle were domesticated in Asia and Europe during New Stone Age and domestication occurred 10,000 years ago. Humped cattle were found in tropical countries and Bos taurus cattle were observed in temperate region. Cattle along with buffaloes provide food, fibre, fuel, and draft power to our world. Milk and draft power are the primary products all over the world; however, in some developed countries beef also plays a major role in cattle industry. The domestication of buffaloes occurred around 5000 years ago. Asian buffalo includes two subspecies known as the River and Swamp types. River buffaloes are generally large in size, with curled horns and are mainly found in India, Pakistan, and in some countries of western Asia. The river buffaloes are primarily used for milk production and also for meat and draught purposes. Swamp buffaloes are stocky animals with marshy land habitats and are primarily used for draught power in paddy fields and are also used for meat and milk production. Swamp buffaloes are mostly found in South East Asian countries. A few animals can also be found in the north eastern states of India [1]. Buffaloes are known to be better at converting poor-quality roughage into milk and meat. They are reported to have a 5% higher digestibility of crude fibre than high-yielding cows; and a 4–5% higher efficiency of utilization of metabolic energy for milk production [2].