Boran Cattle
About the Boran cattle Breed
CHARACTERISTICS
Breed Physique
The Boran male and female share breed points, as described in ‘Boran Bull – Characteristics’. The sexes, however, show marked dimorphism – the female being notably small, whilst the male grows to a large size. The cow has a well-carried udder with strong attachments and neat, small teats, in contrast to some Asian Zebu breeds.
The well-developed beef conformation shows up in carcase appraisals. The depth of eye muscle, marbling, even fat cover and ratio of hind to forequarter make the Boran difficult to beat, hence the preference of Kenya butchers for young, well-finished Boran steers.
“While the Boran breeders have greatly improved the beef conformation of their animals, they never lost sight of the important qualities of the indigenous Boran.”
Breed Survival
Boran cattle have developed adaptive traits of crucial importance for their survival. Some of these characters are: – “Ability to withstand periodic shortage of water and feed, ability to walk long distances in search of water and feed and ability to digest low quality feeds.” (Haile-Mariam, et al. “Boran – Indigenous Cattle With Potential” 1994).
Ability to walk and survive starts with sound feet and leg conformation. Dark pigmentation and black points protect against sunburn. These are important survival characteristics, which inspectors will not compromise when registering for the Kenya Stud Book.
The herd instinct of the Boran makes it easy to manage and survive in bush country. They will always stay together and can ‘graze on the trot’. The cow’s strong protective instinct deters predators.
Walking Ability
In Kenya’s vast northern districts, long distances separate grass from water, and markets are far away. The Boran evolved under these stressful conditions and selection pressure has given the breed its remarkable walking ability, so greatly admired today.
Newborn calves keep up with their mothers and are soon able to walk long distances.
Drought Resistance
“Animals with Boran genes have a relatively low maintenance requirement. This was substantiated in a recent study at the US Meat Animal Research Centre in Nebraska”. (Haile-Mariam, Sprinkle et al. 1998).
“…young Boran animals can make dramatic recoveries after drought years when pasture conditions improve” (Coppock, 1994.)
Being adapted to hot dry conditions, the Boran, with its lower maintenance requirement has a better chance of surviving droughts than Bos taurus breeds. The Boran cow will cease lactating in adverse conditions, letting her live to conceive again when conditions improve.
Mothering Ability
The Boran cow is an excellent mother. Not only will she feed her calf so well that high weaning weights are attainable, but she guards against predators, and will never allow her calf to get lost in the bush.
“For it is the mothering ability which determines the pre-weaning growth rate of the calf and the survival rate from birth to weaning.” (FAO Animal Production and Health Paper 34, 1982).
When considering crossing a Bos taurus breed with zebu for the sub tropics, the Boran must surely rank high as the choice of cow. Her well known mothering ability coupled with her prolific traits and small, efficient size makes her the preferred cow for commercial crossbreeding.
Ease of Calving
The Boran cow is renown among breeders for its ease of calving. As illustrated in this photograh of a Boran cow with her crossbred Charolais/Aberdeen Angus weaner calf, the Boran breed can be reliably crossed with the largest of exotic breeds. This becomes especially useful in ranching conditions where calving supervision is difficult.
Herd Instinct
Boran cattle have a very pronounced herd instinct, making them easily managed in bush country and well suited to cow calf operations.
They always stay together and defend against predators, thus ensuring high calf survival rates.
Temperament
Borans are generally more docile and tractable than other Zebu cattle. Large numbers of Boran bulls kept in one herd cause little trouble.
Females are easy to handle, although cows with newborn calves can be naturally aggressive when protecting their offspring.
Disease Resistance
True resistance to disease is a complicated matter. For practical purposes, a smooth coat and motile skin provides the Boran with a useful degree of protection against tick and buffalo fly infestation. Borans recover from Foot & Mouth Disease faster than exotics, and suffer less damaging after effects.
“One genetic feature which seems clear is that cattle of Bos indicus type are naturally more resistant to ECF than Bos taurus type”.
(A. D. Irvin and M.P Cunningham. East Coast Fever, Diseases of Cattle in the Tropics, Ristic & McIntyre).
“The Orma Boran has been shown to have a degree of trypanotolerance.” (R. Dolan, Nairobi 2001)
A survey of eleven commercial ranches in Kenya shows that calf losses are in the order of 3.5 %, while losses from disease in older cattle are as low as 1% of the herd.
Heat Tolerance
As with all Zebus, the Boran has good heat tolerance. “The sweat glands are more numerous and are larger than those of Bos taurus and the skin surface is increased by the presence of extra folds…” (MacFarlane, 1964) Dark skin pigment protects against sunburn.
Trials in Kenya (D. Robertshaw & V. Finch, Nairobi 1973) showed that B. indicus has a relatively lower metabolic rate than B. taurus and under heat stress there is less metabolic heat to be dissipated and the shiny coat reflects a high proportion of solar radiation.
While European cattle stop eating and seek shade during the heat of the day, the Boran continues to graze. Under demanding conditions where cattle have to be penned at night because of stock theft or predators, this is a plus point for the Boran.
Adaptability
For half a century, the improved Boran from Kenya has penetrated into many areas of Eastern Africa, Zambia and the Congo where conditions differ from those prevailing in semi-arid Kenya. Reliable sources of information have shown that the Boran has adapted well to these diverse environments where, according to reports, they are more productive than the local cattle breeds.
“Boran cattle have adapted to stressful tropical environments by maintaining small body size”. (Boran – Indigenous African Cattle with Potential – M.Haile-Mariam et al. 1994.)
Longevity
Boran cows live long and productive lives and remain sound-mouthed for fifteen years or more. The practical effect of this trait is a low replacement rate of the breeding herd. Bulls are active and fertile until well over ten years of age.
“The length of productive life of a cow is important since the relative cost of raising a calf decreases with the increase in her productive life.” (I.L. Mason & V.Buvanendran. FAO Paper 34 -1982).
The Boran cow is expected to breed regularly and rear well-grown calves for twelve or more years and it is quite normal for fifteen-year-old breeding cows to be sound-mouthed. On record, a sixteen-year-old Boran bull in Kenya is still producing high quality semen for artificial insemination.
Efficiency
The Boran Cattle Breeders Society emphasises selection for the ability of the Boran to wean a calf every year under rangeland conditions. The cows are quick to respond to favourable conditions and can rear weaners of more than 50% of their body weight at nine months and still maintain a 365 days calving interval.
WHY BORAN CATTLE
We have witnessed over many years how over feeding, over management, greed and shows (a desire just to breed pretty animals) has led to the downfall of many cattle breeds. There is disillusionment of the commercial breeder in our stud animals and a desperate search began for breeds that will meet the challenges of world in the 21st Century.
Consumers are scared of hormones and growth stimulants. Commercial farmers are desperate to lower their in put costs and the price of feed has became unaffordable for annual use.
“TO THE RESCUE WE BELIEVE HAS COME THE BORAN BREED. A TRUE GIFT FROM GOD TO CATTLE MEN!”
(The ideal breed for GRASS FED BEEF)
Having been improved under the natural conditions of Africa the Boran offers today breeders exactly what they are looking for.
The society has vowed never to allow the Boran to be shipwrecked like so many other breeds by breeders with short term interests of greed but that they will protect at all cost the wonderful attributes of the Boran Breed we received as a gift. They will further improve the Boran traits but never change the gifts they were given.
The genetic composition of the Boran is unique, making it your best choice for cross breeding:
● European Bos Taurus - 24%
● BosIndicus - 64%
● African Bos Taurus - 12%
The Boran is the mothering cow of Africa:
● Boran cows have very good udders with well-formed teats.
● They produce enough milk to wean calves that weigh more than 50% of dams weight at weaning.
● Their good mothering instinct provides a deterrent against predators.
● Borans have an excellent survival rate of calves.
● Cows produce small calves at birth, male calves average 28kg and female calves average 25kg. Calving problems hardly exist.
Longevity:
● It is quite normal for a 15-year –old cow to be sound mouthed healthy and fertile.
● It is also on record that a 16 year old Boran bull is still producing high quality semen for artificial insemination.
Fertility:
● It is acknowledged that the greatest attribute of the Boran is its fertility.
● Even under harsh conditions the Boran cow will continue to breed and rear calves and do this without punishing herself.
● One explanation for this high fertility is that the cow has relatively low body weight loss over the suckling period, thereby maintaining a good condition, thus able to conceive again.
Disease Resistance:
● A loose but very motile skin with a very short covering of hair and a high secretion of an oily substance makes the Boran a less desirable host for ticks and flies.
● Thick eye banks with very long eyelashes and a long tail with a big well-formed twitch all protect this indigenousness breed against insects.
Temperament:
● Boran cattle are recognized as being generally, quiet, docile and easy to handle. This trait has developed over many
generations of cattle living close to man.
Carcass Quality:
● Trials in Nebraska, U.S.A, show that the Boran and its crosses score consistently better than other Zebu Breeds for meat
tenderness, carcass marbling and rib eye area.
The Herd instinct:
● The very strong herd instinct of the Boran makes it easy to manage in bush country.
● It makes it almost impossible to steel a single animal out of a herd
Good converter of roughage into good quality beef:
● The unique tremendous rumen capacity of the Boran as can be seen in its exceptional depth of body allows the breed to be successfully fattened of the veldt with no energy supplement
● The Boran is also a good browser and under difficult circumstances it has the ability to stay in a good condition.
● Well adapted to environment and climate
● Having sound legs with good walking ability allows the Boran cover great distances in search of food and water
● Being a good grazer and browser allows the Boran to make use of all vegetation at its disposal.
● Its short shiny summer coat and its excellent heat tolerance allow it to out perform other breeds in hot humid climates.
● It also however has the unique ability to withstand extremely cold and wet conditions as during winter it is protected by an excessively thick loose skin and a covering of very dense oily hair that is shed with the commencement of summer.
Early Maturing:
● Boran heifers reach puberty at an average age of 385 days.
HISTORY
Boran cattle were domesticated in 3 parts of the world:
● Bos Indicus (Zebu cattle) domesticated in the Indus Valley (Pakistan) 4000BC
● European Bos Taurus domesticated in eastern Europe 6000 BC
● African Bos Taurus domesticated in the eastern Sub-Saharan area 8000 BC
Cattle were introduced into Africa:
European Bos Taurus The first introduction was hump less taurine Hamitic Longhorns (Bos Taurus) and they arrived in the Nile Delta around 6000 BC. The second introduction, that of the taurine Shorthorns (B. Taurus) supposedly occurred about 2750-2500 BC.
The first introduction of the humped zebu Bosindicus cattle was early as 2000-1788 BC. The second introduction, associated with the Arab invasion of Africa, occurred from about 699 AD.
African Bos Taurus Domesticated in Africa.
Genetic make-up of the Boran
Through DNA sampling Hanotte et al have analyzed the genetic make-up of the Boran and it consists of the following genetic proportions:
● European Bos Taurus - 24%
● Bos Indicus - 64%
● African Bos Taurus - 12%
The Boran developed in Eastern Africa and the main Boran hotspot was the Borana plateau in Southern Ethiopia. That was a point where all the different breeds migrated through to their various destinations in Africa. The Boran developed into the dominate breed of Eastern Africa and especially in Kenya, where the Kenyan Boran Cattle Breeders’ Society (BCBS) have bred the “Improved Boran” since the turn of the century. “While the Boran breeders have greatly improved the beef conformation of their animals, they never lost sight of the important qualities of the indigenous Boran” to quote the BCBS. As far as can be determined this is the only breed in Africa (and therefore the world) to have this specific combination of genes. It must be properly understood that the Boran is a breed that had it’s last infusion of “new” genes in 700 AD. The Boran is therefore NOT a synthetic or compound breed that have been crossbred in the last few decades. It has been bred as a pure breed for 1300 years. The importance of this to the commercial breeder is that the Boran will have much stronger hybrid vigor than modern compound breeds.