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Sirohi goat Photo: Dr. Raju Kasambe · CC BY 4.0 · source ↗

Sirohi goat

Sirohi is an indigenous dual-purpose (meat and milk) goat breed of southern Rajasthan, registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR). It is one of India's most widely distributed commercial goat breeds outside its home tract, valued for hardy adaptation to semi-arid conditions, steady weight gain on low-quality fodder and high resistance to common goat diseases. State livestock distribution schemes — Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka — have promoted Sirohi heavily over the past two decades.

Origin and distribution

The home tract is Sirohi district and surrounding areas of Pali, Ajmer and Udaipur in southern Rajasthan, extending into the Banaskantha-Sabarkantha belt of northern Gujarat. Through state animal-husbandry programmes and private breeder farms, Sirohi has spread across the semi-arid tracts of central and southern India. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Sirohi is one of the preferred breeds (alongside Osmanabadi and Black Bengal) distributed under SC/ST sub-plan livelihood schemes by the AP Animal Husbandry Department and TS Animal Husbandry Department.

Morphology

Sirohi is a medium-sized goat with a compact, sturdy frame. The coat is short with a predominant light to dark brown body and irregular white patches on the face, legs and underline. The face profile is slightly convex (Roman-nosed), ears are medium and drooping, and both sexes are typically horned with small, slightly curved horns. Adult body weight averages 50-55 kg in males and 40-45 kg in females — larger than Osmanabadi or Black Bengal and well-suited to meat markets.

Performance

Sirohi performs well on rough grazing supplemented with modest concentrate. Age at first kidding is 18-20 months. Kidding interval is 8-9 months and twinning rate is 35-50 percent. Lactation yield is 70-90 kg over a 3-4 month lactation — modest, primarily for kid suckling. The real strength of the breed is post-weaning growth: kids reach 15-18 kg by 6 months on extensive grazing and 25-30 kg under semi-intensive feeding, making Sirohi a strong choice for the Bakrid market (Ram Fattening Bakrid).

Management

Sirohi fits the semi-intensive system widely used in commercial goat farms across peninsular India - day-time controlled grazing, supplementary concentrate and night housing in elevated slatted-floor sheds (Elevated Goat Sheep Shed). The breed is hardy and tolerates heat and parasites better than most exotic breeds. Standard health management includes the small-ruminant vaccination schedule (small-ruminant-vaccination-schedule) against PPR, FMD, HS, goat pox and ET, deworming every 90 days, and routine foot care during the monsoon. Cross-breeding Sirohi does with Boer bucks (see Boer Goat) is increasingly used by commercial farms to boost growth rate without compromising hardiness.

Limitations

Compared with Boer-cross, pure Sirohi has lower 6-month weight, dressing percentage 45-48 percent against 50-55 percent for Boer-cross. Milk yield is too low to support intensive dairy goat farming. The breed is in heavy demand under state schemes, so adulterated or mis-identified stock is common in unregulated markets - buyers should source from NBAGR-recognised breeder farms or state livestock farms.

See also: Osmanabadi goat, Black Bengal goat, Boer goat, Elevated Goat Sheep Shed, Sheep and goat vaccination schedule.

Sources

  1. Sirohi - NBAGR breed profile. ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources.
  2. Sirohi goat performance. ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Goats.
  3. Sirohi goat husbandry. Rajasthan Department of Animal Husbandry.