Tamil Nadu Breeds

Highlights

Toda buffalo, a unique breed confined to the Nilgiri district

Aggressive in nature and cannot be easily and tractable

Medium-sized . Ash grey in colour and few cream-coloured.

Two chevron markings in the neck region

Horns are long and characteristically crescent shaped.

Mean daily milk yield is 2.53 kg (maximum of 6.65 kg) with a high fat content of 8.28%

Specific characteristics : high fat content in milk , resistance to mastitis, shorter calving internal, longevity and hardiness

Species	Buffalo
Synonym	Nil
Origin	Nil
Breeding History	Nil
Breeding tract	Nil
Management System	Nil
Breed Society	Nil
Phenotypic characters
General characters	Medium size and long body with deep chest, Named after the Toda tribe of the Nilgiris.
Colour	Fawn at birth and changes to grey, light grey (cream) and dark grey. In adults the coat colour is fawn and ash-grey
Horns	Long, set wide apart outward forming a characteristic crescent shape or semi-circle. Thick at the base and tapering and sharp at the tip
Visible Markings	Hump: Absent, Dewlap: Absent Udder : Not Prominent
Morphometric characters
Body length (Avg cm)	Male : cm Female : cm
Height (Avg cm)	Male : cm Female : cm
Girth (Avg cm)	Male : cm Female : cm
Adult weight (Avg kg)	Male : 380 kg Female : 380 kg
Performance
Age at first calving (m)	40-47 Months
Inter calving period (m)	16 Months
Milk yield per lactation (kg)	500 kg per lactation
Milk Fat ( % )	8%
Population status	Nil
Utility	Nil
Publications	Nair P G, Balakrishnan M and Yadav B R. 1986. The Toda buffaloes of Nilgiris. Buffalo Journal 2:167 -7 8. TNUVAS. 1996. ICAR Ad-hoc scheme on evaluation and conservation of Toda buffaloes. Final Report (1993-1996).Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Science University, Directorate of Centre for Animal Production Studies, Sheep Breeding Research Station, Sandynallah (TN), India

Nair P G, Balakrishnan M and Yadav B R. 1986. The Toda buffaloes of Nilgiris. Buffalo Journal 2: 167 -7 8. TNUVAS. 1996. ICAR Ad-hoc scheme on evaluation and conservation of Toda buffaloes. Final Report (1993-1996).Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Science University, Directorate of Centre for Animal Production Studies, Sheep Breeding Research Station, Sandynallah (TN), India.