Introduction Buff

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INTRODUCTION

There are 165.7 million buffaloes in the world, and India possess thehighest buffalo population of 94.1 million (FAO 2002).

FAO data also showed that the buffalo milk production increasedduring 1982-2001 by 58.2% in the world and by 57.9% in Asia.

Increases in buffalo milk production in India, Pakistan, China and Italy

for the same period was 59.0, 37.0, 63.5, 154.8 %, respectively.

The contribution of buffalo milk production to the dairying in Asia is96.8 percent.

India has the highest volume of buffalo milk production followed byPakistan, China and Italy with contribution of 65.9, 25.2, 3.83

and 0.23percent, respectively.

Latin America is emerging as a predominant area for buffaloes withlargest concentration in Brazil.



TYPES OF BUFFALO

1. Swamp buffaloes are from China, SoutheastAsia, Philippines, and Indonesia. These animalsare used primarily for draft purposes and have

broad, wide horns, a chevron on the chest, legslighter in color, and larger hooves.

2. River buffaloes are from India and Pakistan.These animals are used primarily for dairy

products and meat production, have tightlycurled horns, and hold their heads high.



INTRODUCTION-Cont¶d

1. Buffaloes in South America:a) Buffaloes were imported into Brazil in 1902.b) These buffaloes were river type. Later on swamp buffaloes knownas Carabao were also introduced.

c) Indian breeds of Murrah and Jafarabadi were introduced later on in

1918 to 1921.d) Mediterranean buffaloes were introduced from Italy. Most of thebuffaloes are left on ranches under an extensive range system.e) Semi-intensive rearing is formed only on dairy farms whereselectivebreeding is practiced.

2. Buffaloes in Caribbean:a) Similarly buffaloes were introduced in Columbia, French Guiana,Guyana, Trinidad, Peru and Surinam.b) In Caribbean countries, the buffaloes were first introduced by Sugar

companies as draught animals in early nineteens.C) Later on they were also used as meat animals.



INTRODUCTION-Cont¶d

3. Buffaloes in South East Asia:a) The water buffalo is an economically important animal in Thailand

both for draught and meat purpose.b) The swamp buffalo does not produce sufficient milk to allow it to be

classified as a milk animal but is regarded as an excellent meat type.c) Water buffalo in Philippines are classified into swamp and river type.

d) The river type is exemplified by the Indian and sub-continent breeds,which is considered under dairy category because it possesses highgenetic capacity for milk production.

e) Most of the water buffaloes in Indonesia are the swamp type andwidely used as draught animals.

4. Buffaloes in Europe:a) Buffaloes in east Europe are found in Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia,

Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Italy.b) The European buffaloes are usually black, dark grey, grey black,

black brown, dark brown and slate black in colour.c) In many countries white marks are found on the head, lower legs

and tail tips.d) In European buffaloes, milk production is of primary importancefollowed by a meat production from the culled animals includingsurplus young males.



FEEDING/MANAGEMENT OF RIVERINE BUFFALOES

Feeding from birth to weaning

A project was started in 1973 and continues at Ain Shams University,Faculty of Agriculture to study the effect of improved feedingmanagement on the performance of buffalo calves during pre-and post-

weaning phases of growth. The accumulated results from this project (El-Bassioni, 1983; El-Serafy et al., 1982) and from other research stations inEgypt were summarized by El-Serafy and El-Ashry (1989).

In general it was concluded that, to achieve maximum benefits fromrearing calves on milk replacers, a package of management is required,namely to feed restricted amounts of replacers (4 kg liquid divided intotwo meals), to have fresh water available, to avoid using antibiotics in milkreplacers, to introduce a mash starter from two weeks, to offer goodquality berseem hay leaves ad libitum and to rear calves in a wellventilated barn, always using a dry bed of rice straw.



Feeding buffalo males for growth

From weaning to about 150 kg body weight, male calves require special attention in formulatingrations to promote maximum tissue growth. A highly digestible pelleted starter (70 to 75 % TDNand 15 to 17% DP) is essentially required to achieve about 0.70.8 kg ADG (EL-Ashry et al., 1981).The ration concentrate to roughage ranges between 50:60 or 60:40 on a DM basis, with goodquality berseem hay making up at least half of the roughage (El-Koussy 1981). Comparable ADGvalues for buffalo calves at the same age/weight reported in the fifties and sixties were much lower

(400600 g: Ragab et al., 1966). Different roughages fed to male calves during growth have shown the superior effect of rice straw,

compared to wheat or bean straws (Afifi, 1977). Their results showed that calves required 4.42,4.68 and 4.80 kg feed DM to produce one kilogram gain.

Rice straw contains more ligno-cellulose bonds and ash than wheat or bean straws (Van Soest,1987, personal communication) and its TDN value is less than the other two straws (Abou Raya,1967). A possible explanation for better efficiency of utilization by buffalo calves is that the rumencellulolytic micro-organisms in buffaloes are more capable of breaking these bonds, makinghydrolyzed glucose units available for VFA production (Abou Akkada and El-Shazly, 1966; Zaki Eldin

et al., 1985)



Feeding for fattening of buffalo males

Two fattening practices of male buffalo calves are recognize in Egypt:

Fattening from 200 to 350 kg, over a short fattening period of about 4months, and

Fattening from 250 to about 500 kg over a relatively longer period of 10 to

11 months (called bitello). The first practice produces relatively juicier meat but the second is the

main practice because of its high dressing yields.

The overall ADG during fattening is usually between 800 to 900 g/d,depending on the level of concentrates, being higher with concentrateslevel in ration over 50 % of the diet in which the main roughage as rice

straw (Afifi, 1977). In feedlot fattening operations (Shehata et al., 1973),ADG was 800 to 1000 g when the concentrate portion of the ration was75% and when 1 kg concentrates was offered for each 50 kg live bodyweight.



The following practices are used in improved management systems inEgypt:

supplementary minerals and vitamins when animals are consuming dryfeeds (summer feeding),

spraying animals with water twice/d in summer (June-August),

tethering fattened calves or lactating buffaloes and loose-housing forheifers,

use of locally available materials for making sheds (the roof for sheds ismade of rice straw sandwiched between two light-wood-framed bamboomats),

detecting oestrus with the bull twice daily,

artificial insemination (using fresh semen) 1012 hrs from the first naturalmating,

using mechanical milking machines, and

regular (weekly) veterinary checks and assistance of the veterinarian inheifers delivering their first calf.

Introduction Buff

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