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Vechur - The miniature Indian cattle breed of the millennium 

Dr. T. P. Sethumadhavan

Vechur cattle of Kerala now finds place as a miniature cattle breed in the latest calendar of Indian breeds of cattle published by National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Karnal. Moreover, FAO has also listed Vechur cattle among the Indian breeds in their domestic animal diversity information system. Now a day's Vechur cattle conservation project of Kerala state is acquiring more popularity due to its unique characters. 

The Vechur breed originated from Vechur, a village in the Kottayam district of Kerala State. Vechur cows are small sized with an average body weight of 130 kg and height of below 90 cm. They are seen in black, red or gray colours, humped in nature and tail touches almost ground. They excel in adaptability to the hot humid environment and low feed requirement. 

Recent research findings reveal that the age at first calving and Inter calving period of Vechur cattle was 36 and 14months respectively. Average milk yield is 2-3 kg. The mean milk fat percentage was 4.7 to 5.3, and the size of the milk fat globule was smaller than crossbred cows (4.87micron) and Murrah buffalo milk (5.81micron) but bigger than goat (2.61). Due to high medicinal value, milk is extensively used in Ayurvedic system of Indian medicine 

The Karyotyping revealed the acrocentric nature of Y-chromosome thus denoting the nativity of the breed to India. Moreover they are more resistant to mastitis and respiratory diseases. Mortality rate of calves was significantly lower than crossbred calves. 

In the past few decades, intensive cross breeding coupled with farmer's preference for cows yielding more milk led to the near extinction of this miniature breed of Kerala. Intensive efforts to conserve this distinct breed has now resulted in the "Vechur conservation project" which came in to effect in 1989 with the active involvement of Dr. Sosamma Iype, Professor and Director, Centre for Advanced Studies in Animal Breeding and Genetics, Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), Mannuthy and a dedicated team of research students and veterinarians of the state. The project is under progress with the financial aid from KAU and ICAR. At present around 90 animals are maintained in the two university farms located at Mannuthy and Thumburmuzhi. Its objective is to meet the requirement of farmers who need a small milch cow for home consumption under less sophisticated management systems. Moreover, by conserving the national genetic resources, the sustainable biodiversity of the country can be preserved. 

Authors Corresponding address: 

Dr. T. P. Sethumadhavan, Rakendu, S. K. V. C. Road, Thrissur - 11, Kerala.   tpsethu2000@yahoo.com 

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