Vechur cow Photo: Mullookkaaran · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source ↗

Vechur cattle (Kerala's smallest cattle)

Vechur is the smallest cattle breed in India and one of the smallest in the world. Native to Kerala, the breed was on the verge of extinction by the 1980s before Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) Professor Sosamma Iype launched a conservation project that rescued it from a handful of surviving animals. Today Vechur is registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) and is a flagship of indigenous cattle conservation.

Origin and distribution

The breed takes its name from Vechur village in Kottayam district of Kerala. The home tract covers the low-lying paddy fields of Kottayam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta districts. Conservation herds are maintained at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy (KVASU) and at the Vechur Cattle Conservation Trust farm at Athirampuzha. The breed is increasingly kept as a backyard A2-milk cow across south India.

Appearance

Vechur animals are very small and compact, with adult cows standing only 87–91 cm tall and weighing 100–130 kg; bulls reach 110–125 cm and 150–200 kg. Coat colour is light red, fawn, black or white. The forehead is small and slightly bulging; horns are very short, thin and curve forward and inward in the cow. Ears are small and the dewlap is minimal. Despite the tiny frame the udder is well attached and produces a remarkably high-fat milk.

Productivity

Daily milk yield averages 2.5–3.5 litres with elite cows giving 4–4.5 litres, totalling 500–700 kg per lactation of 250–280 days. Fat is the highest of any Indian breed at 5.5–7.0%, and milk solids are exceptionally high — supporting strong fat-and-SNF premiums (Milk Fat Snf Pricing). The small body size translates to very low maintenance requirement; the breed is famously efficient on a per-kilo-feed basis and thrives on humid tropical conditions.

Management

Vechur cows do well on small backyards with cut-and-carry green fodder, kitchen waste, jackfruit leaves and rice straw, plus 1.0–1.5 kg of balanced concentrate per day. A simple thatched lean-to shed with a raised non-slip floor and a separate calf pen is adequate. Heat tolerance is excellent and the breed shows strong resistance to mastitis (Mastitis Dairy) and foot-and-mouth disease (Fmd Cattle). Breeding is mostly by natural service within conservation herds; semen of progeny-tested Vechur bulls is now available under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission.

Sources

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