Murrah buffalo


The Murrah buffalo is a breed of water buffalo mainly kept for milk production. It originates in Punjab and Haryana states of India, where it is kept in the districts of Bhiwani, Hisar, Rohtak, Jind, Jhajhar, Fatehabad, Gurgaon and the capital region of Delhi. A Murrah buffalo at the Lakshmi Dairy Farm in Punjab set a record of 26.335 kg of milk in the 2016 National Livestock Competition and Expo.
It has been used to improve the milk production of dairy buffalo in other countries, such as Italy, Bulgaria and Egypt.
In Brazil this breed of buffalo is used for production of meat and also milk. Murrah breed of buffalo sells for a high price.

Appearance

The Murrah buffalo is jet black in colour, sometimes with white markings on the face or legs. Eyes are black, active and prominent in females but slightly shrunken in males and should not be walled i.e. cornea should not have whiteness. Neck is long and thin in females and thick and massive in males. Ears are short, thin and alert.
They typically have short and tightly curved horns. Bulls weigh around and cows around. Average milk production is 2200 litres in a lactation period of 310 days.

Research Institutes

The following institutes have ongoing research programs to enhance and disseminate the Murrah breed: