What are gir cows and how do we domesticate them?

What are gir cows:

Gyr or Gir cows are indian indigenous cow breeds which originated in the state of Indian state of Gujarat. Gir cows are also known as Desan, Bhodah, Gujarati, Kathiawari, Sorthi and Surti.

Scientific name is Bos primigenius indicus. This breed is widely known  for its A2 milk production.

Gir cow Identity:

• Head and body structure:

Gir cows’ heads are big and horns are curved.

• Color: The color of gir cow is usually red. But sometimes spotted. Black color is rare. It is also seen with combination colors.

• Hump: They do have a bulgy hump but the bulge is not more than their heads. Their hump is similar to the hump of camels. 

• Tail: Usually their tails are longer and could be 3/5th of their actual height. 

• Ear: Gir cows have long ears compared to other desi breeds which make this breed easily identifiable. 

• Height and weight: Gir cows are taller and heavier. Their height can be as high as 130 to 150 cms and can weigh upto 450 to 500 kgs. 

Feeding of Gir cows: 

The most fabulous part is gir cows are few of those cow breeds who eat less and yield more. When it comes to desi cows they usually eat 30 kg of green fodder and 10 kg of dry fodder in a day but gir eat less than this amount.

But this diet increases when they are lactating or during pregnancy. 

Yielding of Gir cow:

A gir cow produces 15 to 18 liters of milk in a day during their lactation period. On an average gir cow produces 1200 to 1600 liters of milk in a year as they give milk for 270 to 300 days of year. 

Taking care of Gir cows:

Regular check ups and monitoring of cows are essential for their health. Timely vaccinations are important to prevent seasonal viruses and bacteria based ailments. Special care is also required when it comes to pregnancy. 

Behavior of Gir cows:

Gir cows are very social. They love to be around humans. Usually they are polite and gentle. However, if they are mishandled they could be aggressive too.