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1
Microcattle
For the purposes of this report, "microcattle"~ are
considered to be small breeds of cattle (Bos taurus
and Bos indicus) with a mature weight of about 300
kg or less. In many areas of the developing world,
these are actually the animals most widely held by
farmers and pastoralists. They are often treasured
because of their resilience and simple requirements. Many survive and
produce under harsh conditions, grow rapidly, calve easily, show good
maternal ability, yield lean meat, or have other advantages.
Microcattle have generally been ignored in the push towards larger
animals, but they seem inherently suitable for traditional and small-
farm husbandry. As rural people in developing countries improve their
own productivity, as they become more aware of nutritional needs,
and as they depend more upon cash economies, microcattle could
become vital means for improving personal, dietary, and economic
status.
AREA OF POTENTIAL USE
Worldwide.
APPEARANCE AND SIZE
Cattle have been classified in many ways, but they are generally
designated as humped or humpless types. However, clear distinctions
among them are sometimes difficult or impossible to make because
they have intermingled for thousands of years. Representative micro-
cattle types are listed at the end of the chapters
~ Cattle are so common and sought after in so many countries that their inclusion in
this report seems appropriate, even though the smallest cow is obviously larger than
other species described later.
2 A recent book by John P. Maule describes some 300 indigenous and new breeds of
tropical cattle. (See Selected Readings.)
17
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MICROCA11LE
DISTRIBUTION
19
More than two-thirds of the world's 1.3 billion cattle are found in
the developing world; one-third is in the tropics. As noted, a consid-
erable number of these could be called "microcattle."
STATUS
Many strains of microcattle are threatened with extinction because
of replacement or crossbreeding with larger types. This is in some
respects shortsighted because promoting just a few breeds contributes
to narrowing of the genetic base, and valuable traits may be lost when
selection is done to conform to any preconceived standard, including
large size.
HABITAT AND ENVIRONMENT
Microcattle are adapted to a wide variety of habitats. Many types
thrive~ven with little or no attention in climates that are hot, humid,
arid, or beset by diseases and parasites.
BIOLOGY
Cattle are ruminants and digest fiber well, although they are selective
foragers and prefer tender grasses and low-growing legumes.
As with other tropical cattle, microbreeds generally reach physical
and sexual maturity in 2 or 3 years. Many can breed year-round when
conditions are favorable (gestation lasts about 9 months). Cows may
remain fertile 10 years or more, and can live more than 20 years.
BEHAVIOR
Cattle usually graze from as few as four hours to as many as eight
hours a day. If feed is of poor quality, they must forage (and ruminate)
longer to receive adequate nutrition.
Opposite: '~Daniel," the prize bull of the 1981 Warren County Fair, Pennsylvania, USA,
exemplifies the universal trend to enlarge livestock. He stands more than 1.8 m tall and
weighs over 1,360 kg. Cattle have received far more modern development than other
livestock species, much of it aimed at increasing size. The result: today's best-developed
breeds are far too big for the major needs of the Third World. (G. Lester)
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20
MICROLIVESTOCK
Microcattle are commonly docile and undemanding animals, and
many small breeds are surprisingly responsive to humans.
USES
Like conventional breeds, microcattle produce the same well-known
products: meat, milk, manure, hides, horn, blood, and bone. They are
also used for traction.
Small cattle often produce only modest amounts of milk and meat
per animal. However, given higher stocking rates, a herd of microcattle
is often able to outyield larger, genetically improved animals on a per-
hectare basis, especially under stressful conditions. When their ability
to survive adversity and poor management is taken into account, they
may often be far and away the most efficient cattle for traditional
husbandry.
Surprisingly, there is a place even for small draft animals. They tend
to be active, thrifty (efficient), and more maneuverable in tight spaces,
and so are adapted for use in the small fields, terraces, and paddies
that are becoming increasingly common. The small hill cattle of Nepal,
for instance, are valued because they can negotiate steep slopes and
narrow terraces on Himalayan mountainsides.
Microcow maintained inside a home in Bombay, India. In many parts of the world
indoor animals are common; smallness and docility, therefore, are vital traits. (Carol
Guzy, The Washington Post)
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MICROCATTLE
HUSBANDRY
21
Microcattle are handled like their larger counterparts, but herding,
tethering, fencing, and hobbling are generally easier.
ADVANTAGES
Cattle are familiar animals that are accepted in nearly all cultures;
their meat, milk, manure, and leather are in demand almost everywhere.
In many societies, beef is preferred over other meats, even by those
who can rarely afford it.
In most areas, organized breeding, production, and marketing as-
sociations are already in place. Microcattle can also integrate well into
traditional forms of husbandry, whether in pastoral herds of hundreds
or as solitary backyard milk cows.
Under humid and hot conditions, Microcattle probably suffer less
than larger breeds because their greater ratio of skin area to body
mass enhances their ability to shed heat.3
The number of cattle that can be kept on a given parcel of land may
be increased, sometimes even doubled, with smaller animals. Micro-
cattle can also be penned and fed cut-and-carry forage more easily
than can larger cattle, and more of them can be maintained on the
same amount of feed. This permits more continuous production and
less financial hardship when an animal perishes.
Small cattle may require less labor because they are generally easier
to handle, herd, confine, and transport. They usually have few problems
with calving, and as a rule require little or no assistance.
Some Microcattle have unusual tolerances to disease. In Africa, for
instance, there are breeds that tolerate or resist trypanosomiasis, a
parasitic disease that makes large areas of that continent uninhabitable
for most other cattle breeds. Others seem more tolerant of internal or
external parasites, theileriosis (east coast fever), rinderpest, or other
afflictions.4
LIMITATIONS
Microcattle often lack the prestige of larger breeds.
When given quality forage and supplemental feeding, small unim-
proved cattle may not match the overall productivity of the large,
3 However, high temperatures are not the only cause of heat buildup. The heat of
fermentation can raise rumen temperatures above 40°C-especially when the animals
are feeding on hard-to-digest roughage, which is often the bulk of the diet in regions
. .
wit. ~ poor grazing.
4 International Livestock Centre for Africa, 1979.
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22
MICROLIVESTOCK
BOAST Bay
In Mexico, researchers are deliberately creating microcattle.
Since 1970, Juan Manuel Berruccos Villalobos, former director
of the Veterinary Medicine school at the National Autonomous
University, has directed this enterprise. Ile and his colleagues
have miniaturized cows by selecting the smallest specimens
out of a herd of normal-sized Brahman cattle and breeding
them with one another. After five generations, adult females
A miniature Brahman cow and her calf stand next to a Brahman of
normal size. Although only one-fifth the weight, a miniature Brahman
provides two-thirds as much milk as a normal cow. (Sergio Dorantes,
Sygma)
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MICROCATTLE
average 15~180 kg adult males 20~220 kg. A few of the
smallest cows are now only 60 cm tall and 140 kg in weight.
Merely one-fifth of nonnal weight, they are shorter than the
turkeys that share the barnyard with them. Indeed, they even
get lost in the grassy pastures so that the farmers cannot see
them.
This program seems to have yielded a productive animal
that can be cheaply and easily maintained in a small space.
Benuccos has demonstrated that the tiny cows can be stocked
on one-third the area needed to support one normal-sized
cow. He reports that they are giving remarkable amounts of
milk: up to four liters a day, compared with six liters from their
full-sized counterparts. On a feed-intake to weight-gain basis,
the tiny cattle are no less efficient than their normal-sized
counterparts.
Although 17 years have gone into the selection of what
Bem~ecos calls his "bonsai cattle," the process is not yet
finished. Future goals include testing embryo transplants to
see if one normal-sized cow can support multiple "micro-
fetuses" (possibly as many as eight). This would help to rapidly
increase the numbers of the miniature form, which weigh
merely ~5 kg at birth.
All in all the Mexacan researchers see miniaturization as a
new option for governments and farmers increasingly squeezed
by shanking farm land and rising production costs. Small
livestock, they say, are a way to produce more food on less
land faster. For example, a campesino with almost no land
can have one or two bonsais, but could never maintain a
standard-sized cow.
23
highly developed breeds. Their greatest potential may prove to be for
traditional husbandry and for grazing marginal areas where survival is
more important than feed efficiency.
RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION NEEDS
Their adaptability and robustness make microcattle worthy of pres-
ervation, study, and greater use, and they should be incorporated into
many ongoing programs.
Selective breeding, although infrequently attempted, can probably
improve productivity significantly. Records of breed history should be
established, and unusual or special characteristics noted and the
information disseminated.
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24
MICROLIVESTOCK
/ ~ ~
to
O~ ~ V]
banteng ~
Original distribution of wild cattle and banteng. (Based on Mason, 1984)
In areas where small, indigenous breeds are being replaced, repre-
sentative populations should be maintained and studied to increase
understanding of their adaptive diversity and to retain a genetic
storehouse for the future.
REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLES OF MICROCATTLE5
Dwarf West African Shorthorn
West African coastal forests, and inland. Female 125 kg; male 150
kg. Adaptation to harsh, humid climates and good resistance to
trypanosomiasis and other diseases allow these small animals to exist
where other cattle die. They are perhaps the smallest cattle of all
(often weighing less than 100 kg). In the areas of worst disease and
highest rainfall, this hardy animal is often found thriving, but half-
wild.
5 Weights are sometimes difficult to obtain and verify, and many (perhaps most) breeds
have never been scientifically examined When weight is listed by gender, they are
representative; when a range is given, it includes both males and females.
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MICROCA11LE
25
Muturu Nigeria. Female 160 kg; male 210 kg. This notable subtype
is slightly larger. It is the most trypanotolerant of all cattle, showing
no symptoms or loss of vitality. It is widely kept, mostly as a village
scavenger and often as a pet, and yields a high percentage of meat.
N'Dama
West Africa. 20~00 kg. These active, stocky animals utilize low-
quality forage, produce good beef, and are used as light draft oxen.
Milk production, though poor, improves with feeding level. N'Dama
mature early and are exceptionally fertile, and they have already
become important in breeding programs. They are resistant to trypa-
nosomiasis, and can exist where temperatures average 30° C with
1,500 mm annual rainfall. In the least hospitable areas, N'Damas
ranging down to 200 kg are often the only cattle that can remain
productive.
Rodope
Southeastern Europe. Female 200 kg; male 350 kg. A humpless
multipurpose breed-draft, milk, and beef-that is exceptionally hardy.
The milk is high in butterfat. Possibly adaptable to the subtropics. It
is rapidly being lost to crossbreeding.
Zebu
Zebus are among the most important tropical domestic animals.6
However, the dwarfs are not well known, although in many areas they
are preferred, especially as draft animals. Zebus use less water, even
though their sweat glands are larger and more numerous than those of
most other cattle. All have a low basal metabolism and resist heat
well. In general, they also have high resistance to ticks and other
parasites.
Taiwan Black Taiwan. Female 250 kg; male 250 kg. Well adapted to
poor tropical conditions, these work animals are also used for meat.
6 Although many questions above bovine evolution remain unresolved, all humped cattle
are usually considered to have some zebu blood. However, not all of them are classified
as zebus.
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26
MICROLIVESTOCK
Kedah-Kelantan Malaysia. Female 200 kg; male 250 kg. Hardy, well-
adapted cattle with exceptional fertility on a poor diet, both sexes are
used as draft animals as well as sources of meat and cash.
Sinhala (Dwarf Zebu) Sri Lanka. Female 200 kg; male 250 kg. An
ancient type of zebu, preferred for its handiness in cultivating small
paddies and terraced fields.
Nuba Dwarf Sudan. 18~220 kg. These work animals are well pro-
portioned but are not slaughtered for meat, and milk production is
low. Although tolerant to trypanosomiasis, their numbers have dwin-
dled because of crossbreeding.
Small Zebu Somalia. 16~230 kg. These small native cattle are used
for beef, milk, and for work. They are well adapted to poor feed in a
desolate environment.
Abyssinian Shorthorn Zebu (Showa) Central highlands of Ethiopia.
Female 225 kg; male 305 kg. These widespread, small-humped cattle
are very hardy. They produce beef and are generally milked, with
surplus production about 2= kg daily. Resistant to many parasites,
they also have a gentle disposition and make good work animals.
Dwarf Zebu (Mongalla) Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. Female 150
kg; male 250 kg. A highly variable, long-entrenched, small, East-
African zebu with some nonzebu blood. Pastoralists favor it because
of its hardiness. Although slow-maturing, it is well-fleshed, can yield
excellent beef, and some types are milked.
Mashona Zimbabwe. Female 200 kg; male 250 kg. This hardy zebu-
sanga type (see below) is widespread in drier areas and has a high
resistance to disease and parasites. Since the 1940s, it has been bred
for beef production and selected animals now weigh more than 500 kg.
Mini-Brahman Mexico. 135 kg. Downsized from 450-kg Brazilian
zebus through selective breeding by Mexican researchers, these gentle
animals are reported to yield two-thirds as much milk (3 - liters daily)
as the parent stock. Because of much higher stocking rates on grass,
production per hectare is reportedly greater than with full-sized animals
(see sidebar, page 221.
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MI C RO C ATT LE
Criollo
27
Central and South America. Descendants of Spanish and Portuguese
cattle imported over 400 years ago, "criollo" cattle have adapted to
a wide range of harsh climates. Many varieties are small: mature
females often weigh 20~300 kg or less. They sometimes produce littl
beef or milk under traditional conditions and management, but they
are extremely hardy and survive when other cattle perish. Through
importation and crossbreeding, many local types have been lost or are
threatened.
Chinampo Baja California,Mexico. 20() 350 kg. Extremely tolerant
of wild desert conditions, these docile criollo cattle exist largely on
scrub and cactus. They get most of their water from succulent plants,
have a low metabolic rate and body temperature, and are mostly active
at night.
Florida Scrub Florida, USA. 225-300 kg. Genetically isolated for
more than 300 years, the Florida Scrub is very hardy in harsh,
subtropical conditions. It has good resistance to ticks and screwworm,
and can subsist on forage with a high roughage content.
Sanga
This type an ancient cross between longhorns or shorthorns and
humped animals is found throughout eastern and southern Africa. It
weighs from 150 to 500 kg or more. Some types have been selectively
bred or crossed with European cattle and are quite productive.
Bavenda Transvaal, South Africa. 24~290 kg. This hardy and disease-
tolerant tropical variety is small and prolific. It is generally used for
draft, barter, and beef. However, it has been crossbred with larger
animals so frequently that the smaller types are almost extinct; most
"Bavendas" now weigh more than 300 kg.
Ovambo7 Northeastern Namibia. Female 160 kg; male 225 kg. A calm
and docile animal with a small hump, it is used by seasonal pastoralists
for beef and milk.
7 This is a small type of the Kaokoveld sanga. Its small size may perhaps be due to a
mineral deficiency rather than its genes.
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28
MICROLIVESTOCK
BAI1TEnG: THE CUTEST COW
The banteng (Bos javanicus) is a small Southeast Asian
bovine with a promising future.* It is a different species from
cattle. The two will interbreed, but the hybrid offspring are
normally sterile.
Although almost entirely neglected by the animal science
community, the banteng is remarkable for an ability to thrive
under hot, humid, and disease-ridden conditions where cattle
often grow poorly. The sexes are easily distinguished: males
are jet black, females are golden brown. Both have bright white
socks and rumps as if they had been freshly whitewashed.
in..
Kluang Malaysia. Banteng in an experimental herd. (I`l.D. Vietmeyer)
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MICROCArrLE
Wild banteng are found in remote areas of countries from
Burma to Indonesia. But only Indonesia has used it as a farm
animal so far. It has more than 1.5 million domesticated
banteng some 20 percent of the count~s total "cattle" pop-
ulation. Indonesian farmers value the animal's agility, which
allows them to cultivate fields too narrow for cattle to turn the
plow. In addition, gounnets consider banteng meat the tastiest
of all. Indonesia appreciates the banteng so much that it has
established a genetic sanctuary on the island of Bali- banning
cattle in order to maintain the banteng's genetic purity.
Outside Indonesia, only a few scientists have studied this
animal, but it seems clear that it is particularly useful under
tropical conditions. In heat and humidity, it thrives; even when
cattle are standing one rarely sees a skinny banteng. And
demand for its meat is never ending.
29
- Often called "Bali cattle," this animal is better called "banteng" because it is
neither a cow nor exclusively from Bali. Under good conditions, it can be 50
percent bigger than the microcattle considered in this chapter, but in practice
most banteng are within the 300-kg upper limit we have chosen to define
microcattle.
** More details can be found in the companion volume Little-Known Asian Anunals
with a Proms Economic Future.
Nilotic Sudan. 18~300 kg. These cattle of southern Sudan show great
variation in size, partly due to environmental factors. They are generally
resistant to local parasites arid worms, have good potential for increased
beef production, and their milk is very important locally.
Chadian "Native" and Dwarf Black Cattle
Chad. Female 225 kg; male 275 kg. These two types are small,
humped meat animals that graze the sparse savanna and are very
drought resistant. Little scientific information exists about them.
"Arab Cattle"
Middle East. Small types (female 225 kg; male 300 kg) are used for
meat and some milk, especially in Lebanon. There are many local
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MICRO LIVE STOC K
L
F~ ~:~4
-
Ethiopia: Microcattle in market. (World Bank)
in..
_ 4 ~
y it''
`_, ~
id. _
:. ~
,,
A:
.,
forms with variable appearance' but all have small humps. Well adapted
to grazing sparse vegetation on rough land, they are becoming rare
due to crossbreeding.
Hit! Cattle
Nepal. Female 160 kg; male 200 kg. A widespread type often re
crossed with Indian zebu animals, they are bred to be small. They are
thrifty creatures that maintain themselves well on poor forage. Bulls
make sure-footed draft animals on rough ground and slopes, and the
cows are milked.
Tibetan Dwarf
Tibet. Less than 250 kg. These humpless cattle are used as pack
animals and can tolerate poor forage and high altitudes.
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MICROCATTLE
Yellow Cattle
31
Southwest and south China. Female 220 kg; male 380 kg. In the
subtropics and tropics, small multipurpose types of Yellow Cattle
withstand high temperature and humidity. They are used mainly for
work and meat, and seem well adapted to poor feed, harsh conditions,
and rugged terrain. The Chowpei (19~380 kg) is a hardy working
breed of more temperate areas in Hubei Province.
Cheju Hanwoo
Korea. Female 230 kg; male 280 kg. A yellowish-brown Cheju Island
native that has almost no calving difficulty, it is well adapted to poor
grazing conditions in harsh environments and is docile and obedient.
Madura
Indonesia. Female 220 kg; male 300 kg. An ancient cross between
humped cattle and the banteng (see sidebar), these heat- and disease-
resistant hybrids also have good grazing and mothering ability, and
are kept in the most extreme humid tropical environments. Breeding
for fighting and racing has given them a poor disposition.8
Dexter Cattle
Ireland and North America. 22~360 kg. This breed can be traced
back to eighteenth-century Ireland and is believed to have been
developed by peasant farmers living on rough land. It is exceptionally
hardy and produces both milk and meat. In North America, it has
become popular among city folk who acquire country property, as this
microbreed is particularly well suited to their usually tiny farms.
x These interesting animals are described in the companion volume Little-Known Asian
Animals with a Promising Economic Future.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
work animals