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Mehsana buffalo Photo: Yann Forget · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗

Mehsana buffalo

Mehsana is a high-yielding dual-purpose buffalo breed of north Gujarat, registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR). It evolved as a stabilised cross between Surti and Murrah and today underpins the dense cooperative dairy belt around Mehsana, Banaskantha and Sabarkantha that feeds the Amul / Dudhsagar Dairy procurement system.

Origin and distribution

The home tract is Mehsana, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha and Patan districts of north Gujarat. Cross-bred influence with Murrah (Murrah Buffalo) has been documented since the early 20th century, but the type was stabilised through cooperative breeding under Dudhsagar Dairy. Animals have spread into adjoining Rajasthan and Maharashtra through bull-mother and frozen-semen programmes.

Morphology

Mehsana is slightly lighter and longer than Murrah, usually black or black-with-brown patches at the muzzle, forehead and switch. Horns are sickle-shaped, less tightly curled than Murrah, and turn upward at the tip. Adult cows weigh 400-450 kg and bulls 550-600 kg. The udder is well-developed with squarely placed teats — a trait that makes the breed well-suited to machine milking in cooperative chilling centres.

Productivity

Average lactation yield is 1,800-2,500 kg over 305 days, with elite animals exceeding 4,000 kg. Milk fat averages 6.5-7.5%, slightly lower than Surti but higher than Murrah, and SNF is consistently above 9%. These figures translate into premium pay-out under fat-and-SNF-based pricing (Milk Fat Snf Pricing). Age at first calving is 42-48 months and the inter-calving interval is 14-16 months under good management — better than most non-descript buffaloes.

Management

Mehsana cows are docile and adapt well to stall-feeding in peri-urban dairies. A typical ration is 30-35 kg green fodder (maize, hybrid napier, lucerne — see Bullet Napier And Hybrids, Hedge Lucerne Velimasal), 5-6 kg dry roughage and 4-6 kg concentrate (Concentrate Feed Mix Dairy). Heat detection is the single biggest constraint, and most herds rely on artificial insemination with Murrah or proven Mehsana bulls (Artificial Insemination Cattle). Sand-bedded or rubber-matted dairy shed design (Dairy Shed Design) reduces hock injuries and mastitis incidence (Mastitis Dairy).

See also: Murrah buffalo, Jaffarabadi buffalo, Surti buffalo, Milk fat & SNF pricing.

Sources

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