Umblachery
A small grey zebu from the Tamil Nadu coast, bred as an ox for rice paddies
The Umblachery is a small zebu breed from the coastal plains of Tamil Nadu in South India, kept mainly as a working ox in the rice paddies. Cows are grey with darker shading, bulls darker again, and the milk, a second return from the breed, runs at about 4.9 per cent butterfat.
- A small zebu breed, cows about 103 cm at the withers and some 325 kg
- Kept on the coastal plains of Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu
- Bred as a draught animal for work in the rice paddies of that coast
- Milk butterfat around 4.9 per cent, with about 400 kg a year from a cow
- A 2000 census counted 283,157 head; the FAO listed it as endangered in 2007
What do Umblachery cattle look like?
The Umblachery is a zebu breed, so it carries the hump of the Bos indicus group. It is small: a cow stands a little over a metre at the withers, about 103 cm, and weighs around 325 kg, while a bull reaches about 113 cm and 385 kg. Grey is the base colour of the cows, and darker shading marks the head, neck and hindquarters. Bulls are darker again and some show white markings. Horns stay small in both sexes. A calf is born reddish and turns grey before its first birthday.
Where does the Umblachery come from?
Eastern and central Tamil Nadu is the breed's home, and it is kept on the coastal plains of Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts in South India. Local cattle crossed with Kangayam animals from the same state are thought to have produced it. The breed was shaped by work rather than by show: it was bred to pull in the rice paddies of the area. A census in 2000 found 283,157 head. The FAO flagged it as endangered in 2007; by 2020 the DAD-IS record showed it as not at risk.
What the Umblachery is known for
Small horns, a compact frame and a grey coat are the breed's marks. The Umblachery is known as a working animal of the wet rice ground, where a beast of about a metre at the withers can move through flooded fields. Its colour changes as it grows: reddish at birth, grey within the first year. Bulls run darker than cows, and white markings appear on some of them.
How the Umblachery is bred and kept
The breed is thought to have been formed by crossing the cattle already kept in eastern and central Tamil Nadu with Kangayam stock from the same state. It remains in the coastal plains of the three districts, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur, working the paddy land. A doctoral study of the breed's characteristics and performance was written by Premkumar V. Thomas in 1995 and is held in the Krishikosh repository of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi.
Umblachery, drawn
What the Umblachery is kept for
The Umblachery was developed as a draught animal and its chief work has been in the rice paddies of the Tamil Nadu coast, where it draws ploughs and carts through wet ground. Cows are also milked. The milk is rich, with butterfat near 4.9 per cent, and the yearly yield comes to about 400 kg from a cow. Work comes first for this breed, with milk as a second return from the same animals.
The land and climate of the Umblachery
The Umblachery belongs to the coastal plains of eastern Tamil Nadu in South India, in the paddy country of Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts. The land there is low, flat and wet, given over to rice growing, and the cattle are part of that working landscape. A small frame, little more than a metre at the withers, fits animals that spend their days in flooded fields.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
A census in 2000 counted 283,157 Umblachery cattle. A report in 2013 put the population somewhere between 39,000 and 72,000 head. In 2007 the FAO gave the status endangered, and the DAD-IS record for 2020 says not at risk, so the two views of its safety differ. One treats the breed as under threat, the other as secure.
From the Umblachery
Questions people ask about Umblachery
Where does the Umblachery come from?
It comes from South India, in the state of Tamil Nadu, where it is kept on the coastal plains of Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts. Its history is tied to local cattle crossed with Kangayam stock from the same state.
What is the Umblachery kept for?
Mainly for draught work in the rice paddies of its home districts, where it pulls and carries in wet ground. Cows are also milked, giving milk of about 4.9 per cent butterfat and roughly 400 kg in a year.
How big is an Umblachery?
It is a small breed. A cow measures about 103 cm at the withers and weighs some 325 kg; a bull stands near 113 cm and weighs about 385 kg. Horns are small in both sexes.
What colour are the cattle?
The cows are grey, with dark shading over the head, neck and hindquarters. Bulls are darker and may carry white markings. Calves are born a reddish colour and turn grey during their first year.
Is the Umblachery at risk?
The accounts differ. The FAO classed it as endangered in 2007, while its DAD-IS entry in 2020 gave the status as not at risk. A 2000 census counted 283,157 head, and a 2013 report put the population between 39,000 and 72,000.
Good reading and sources
- Umblachery on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Umblachery", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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