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EveryCow

Drought-hardy breeds

Cattle that walk far for water and keep going in a dry year: Tharparkar, Boran and Kuri.

Drought-hardy cattle survive long dry seasons and failed rains. They walk far between water and grazing, drink less often, digest poor dry forage and lose weight slowly when feed runs short, then regain it quickly when rain returns. India's desert breeds, the Tharparkar and Rathi of the Thar and the Nagori of Rajasthan, are built for this life, as are Kankrej and Gir of the dry west. In Africa, the Boran of Ethiopia and Kenya, the Kenana and Butana of Sudan and the Afrikaner and Tuli of the south are drought-hardy breeds.

Living with little water

Drought-hardy cattle often have long legs and strong feet for walking to distant water, and they can go a day or two between drinks. Their kidneys conserve water well, and many can recycle more of the nitrogen in their bodies, which helps them digest dry, low-protein grass. Herders choose animals that keep calving and milking through hard years, and that selection over centuries has shaped these breeds as much as any formal programme.

Breeds of the Thar

The Thar desert of Rajasthan and Sindh is one of the most densely populated deserts in the world, and cattle are central to its farming. The Tharparkar, a white or light grey zebu, gives milk and works, and is one of India's hardiest dual-purpose breeds. The Rathi, from the Bikaner country, is a good milker on desert grazing. The Nagori, from Nagaur, is a fast trotting draught breed. Pastoral families once moved with their herds in search of grazing during dry years.

African dryland herds

In East Africa, the Boran was developed by Borana herders of southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya, and improved on Kenyan ranches. It is now used for beef in several dry countries. The Kenana and Butana of Sudan are zebu that give milk on dry grazing. In southern Africa, the Afrikaner and Tuli are hardy sanga breeds. Herders of the Sahel, such as the Fulani, keep zebu that walk hundreds of kilometres on seasonal migrations.

Worth knowing

  • Tharparkar: White desert zebu of the Thar
  • Rathi: Milking zebu of the Bikaner desert
  • Nagori: Fast draught breed of Nagaur, Rajasthan
  • Kankrej: Hardy zebu of the dry north of Gujarat
  • Boran: East African zebu of the Borana country
  • Butana and Kenana: Dairy zebu of Sudan
  • Tuli: Hardy golden sanga of Zimbabwe

Good to know

  • Plan water points so that cattle do not walk more than they need to in the hottest part of the day.
  • Keep fodder or crop residues in reserve for dry years; hardy breeds still lose condition without feed.

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text by the EveryCow desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Drought-hardy on EveryCow

The breeds written up so far, best known first.

PurposeDairyBeefDraughtDual-purposeTriple-purposeSportCeremonialGrazingHeritageMiniature
LineageTaurineZebuSangaCompositeYakMithunBantengWild
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 5 moreZebu Humped, heat-tolerant cattle of South Asia, kept for milk, meat, work and ridingZebu · Dairy · Heat-tolerant 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreKankrej A grey zebu from the dry Rann of Kutch, kept for milk and for work oxenZebu · Dual-purpose · Heat-tolerant 🇮🇳 IndiaRathiराठी A brown and white dairy breed from the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, kept by nomadic Rath herders.Zebu · Dairy · Heat-tolerant

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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