Kangayam bullock Photo: Ksp balu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗

Kangayam cattle (Tamil Nadu draught-dairy)

Kangayam is the most celebrated draught cattle breed of Tamil Nadu and the lead breed of the Kongu region. Registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), it was systematically developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by the Pattagar of Palayakottai zamindari, who selected animals for strength, speed and uniformity. Kangayam bullocks are widely used for jallikattu, rekla cart races and traditional ploughing, and the breed is a priority indigenous breed under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission.

Origin and distribution

The home tract is Kangayam, Dharapuram, Karur, Erode, Tiruppur and parts of Coimbatore and Namakkal districts of Tamil Nadu. Pedigreed herds are maintained at the Kangayam Research Centre at Sathyamangalam, the Korangadu pastoral farms around Kangayam, and at TANUVAS breeding farms. The breed is also kept in adjacent districts of Karnataka and Kerala.

Appearance

Kangayam animals are medium to large with a strongly built, well-proportioned body. Cows are grey-white; bulls are grey on the body with dark grey to black on the hump, neck, shoulders and quarters; calves are red and gradually turn grey by 6–8 months. The forehead is broad and slightly bulging; horns are strong, long and curve outward, backward and inward in a graceful sweep with sharp tips. Ears are small and held horizontally; the hump in bulls is well developed and the dewlap is moderate. Adult cows weigh 340–380 kg and bulls 480–540 kg, with long, straight legs and hard hooves.

Productivity

Kangayam is primarily a draught breed with secondary milk value. Cows are modest milkers producing 540–1,000 kg over a 270-day lactation, with fat at 4.5–5.0%. The breed's main fame is its bullocks — fast, strong, attentive and easy to train. Pairs of Kangayam bullocks complete heavy ploughing in tank-irrigated paddy, finger millet and groundnut fields, pull 1,000–1,500 kg cart loads in road haulage, and are the breed of choice for jallikattu in Tamil Nadu's bull-taming events. Heat and disease tolerance is excellent and the breed is well adapted to the Korangadu silvi-pastoral grazing system.

Management

Kangayam herds graze on Korangadu pastures of velvet bean (Cenchrus) grass and Acacia trees, supplemented with sorghum and finger millet straw and a 1.0–2.0 kg concentrate ration for working bullocks and milking cows. Open loose housing with shade is the norm; floors must be non-slip to protect heavy bullocks. Breeding is largely by natural service in Korangadu herds; artificial insemination (Artificial Insemination Cattle) with progeny-tested Kangayam bull semen is being expanded under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission.

Sources

Kangayam — NBAGR breed profile. ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal.
Kangayam — Dairy Knowledge Portal. National Dairy Development Board.