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Phenotypic characterization of the Saudi Arabian Hassawi cattle breed

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2011

T. A. Mohammed
T. A. Mohammed
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Husbandry, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources King Faisal University, P O Box 1757, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
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Summary

Hassawi cattle breed is a mix of Bos indicus and Bos taurus. The cattle are raised in the Eastern province of the country by farming families in mixed farming system. The breed numbers are declining very fast, from 10 449 head in 1986 to an estimated maximum of 4 500 head at present.

The decrease is mainly due to replacement by exotic breeds, the indiscriminate crossing with these exotics, particularly in view of the scarcity of the Hassawi bulls for mating. Animals are small in size, mature body weight 210-270 kg for bulls and 150-200 kg for cows, quite uniform in colour (light red) and body conformation have conspicuously reduced dewlap and umbilical folds and relatively large hump. Animals are heat tolerant, sustain high feed intake under ambient temperature, resistant to many diseases prevailing in the region and cows have good mothering ability. Productivity of the breed in terms of meat and milk is low when compared to that of exotics in high input production environments, but reproduction performance excels that of temperate breeds and zebu cattle.

Efforts should be made to stop the decline in the breed numbers and to conserve the breed as an asset for production under harsh environment.

Resumen

La raza bovina Hassawi es una mezcla entre Bos indicus y Bos taurus. Estos bovinos se crían en la provicia oriental del país en explotaciones familiares con sistema mixto de producción. El número de animales está decayendo a gran velocidad, pasando de 10 449 cabezas en 1986 a un máximo estimado en 4 500 cabezas en la actualidad.

El decrecimiento se debe principalmente a la sustitución por razas exóticas y al cruce indiscriminado con estas razas exóticas, en particular debido a la escasez de toros Hassawi para la monta. Estos animales son de talla pequeña, con un peso corporal en edad madura que va de 210 a 270 kg para los toros y de 150 a 200 kg para las hembras. El color es relativamente uniforme (rojizo) y la conformación corporal ha reducido de forma importante el desarrollo y los pliegues umbilicales y ha dado lugar a una joroba. Los animales son tolerante al calor, mantienen una ingestión alimentaria elevada en temperatura ambiente, son resistentes a las principales enfermedades presentes en la región y las hembras resultan buenas madres. La productividad de la raza en cuanto a carne y leche es baja, comparada con la de razas exóticas en medios de alta producción, pero la tasa de reproducción supera la de otros bovinos y zebús de zonas templadas.

Es necesario realizar esfuerzos para impedir el declino del número de animales y conservar la raza como recurso para la producción en medios difíciles.

Keywords

HassawiAl-Quatif districtEcologyPhysical characteristicsProduction systems
Type
Research Articles
Information
Animal Genetic Resources/Resources génétiques animales/Recursos genéticos animales , Volume 21 , April 1997 , pp. 35 - 42
Copyright
Copyright © Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 1997

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