The two Sahiwal cows at a farmhouse near Tarakaturu village in Krishna district have delivered two calves, increasing the total number of the rare breed of cows here from five in mid 2014 to seven in December 2014.
In India, the Sahiwal, a heat tolerant breed, has been dwindling over the years and the National Dairy Development Board has aimed at increasing the number of Sahiwal cow population.
The Sahiwal, a breed of Zebu cattle, originated in the dry Punjab region that lies along the India-Pakistan border. “One Sahiwal cow delivered a male calf in October and another delivered a female calf in
late December. Both the calves are surviving the weather conditions without any health problems,” said farmer M. Vijaya Ram. Mr. Vijaya Ram runs the ‘goshala’ where he is attempting to develop Sahiwal, Gir and Kankrej cows. Scientists at the Sabarmati Ashram Gaushala at Bidaj in Gujarat supplied the Sahiwal semen that was injected into two of these two cows. Of them seven Sahiwal cows at the Goshala, three are male and four are female.
“It is being recorded that the milk yield of Sahiwal cow is between 12 and 13 litres per day. However, we are allowing the calves to enjoy the milk from their mothers,” the ‘goshala’ worker Pramod Reddy told The Hindu .
“The Sahiwal cows at our Goshala never fell ill during pre and post pregnancy. They are responding well to changes in weather conditions,” he added.
