The Malvi cattle are a breed of zebu cattle from the Malwa plateau in western Madhya Pradesh, in central India. It also known as Manthani, Malavi or Mahadeopuri.
The breed is mainly used as a good draught breed and milk production of the cows is pretty low. Breeding tract of the breed include Rajgarh, Ratlam, Shajapur and Ujjain districts of Madhya Pradesh.
The breed has developed into different strains such as light, medium and heavy in size depending on soil conditions.
The Malvi cattle breed has been studied at the Government Cattle Breeding Farm at Agar, in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh for more than 50 years. Read more information about the breed below.
Malvi Cattle Characteristics
The Malvi cattle are among the very beautiful cattle breeds of India. They are generally small in size with short, deep and compact bodies. They have drooping hindquarters and their back is straight.
They have short but powerful legs and their hooves are strong and black in color. They have beautiful dewlap which is well-developed and the sheath is moderately pendulous.
Malvi cattle have short and broad head with dished forehead. There are black color around the eye socket and the eye membranes. The muzzle is broad, dark colored and slightly upturned.
Both cows and bulls have horns, and their horns emerge from the outer angles of the poll in an outward and upward direction. They have short and pointed ears which are not dropping.
The Malvi cattle have tail of moderate length with black switch reaching to about the fetlock. They are generally white or white greyish in color.
Both bulls and cows eventually become nearly pure white with age. Average height of the mature cows is about 130 cm, and about 140 cm for the bulls.
Average live body weight of the bulls is about 500 kg. And the cows on average weight about 340 kg. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Uses
The Malvi cattle are mainly used as a draught animal. The cows are not good milk producers and not good for the production of milk.
Special Notes
Malvi cattle are well known for their draft qualities. They are observed to be very good on the road for quick transportation. The bullocks also work well in the black cotton soil. The bullocks show great endurance and ability to carry heavy loads on rough roads.
The cows are not among the good milk producers. On average they can produce only about 600 to 1200 kg of milk per lactation. But their milk is of very good quality, containing about 4.3 percent of fat. Review full breed profile of the Malvi cattle in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Malvi | |
| Other Name | Manthani, Malavi or Mahadeopuri | |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly draft | |
| Special Notes | Strong, hardy, powerful, well adapted to their native climatic conditions | |
| Breed Size | Small | |
| Bulls | About 500 kg | |
| Cows | About 340 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates | |
| Coat Color | White or white greyish | |
| Horned | Yes | |
| Milk Yield | Poor | |
| Rarity | Common | |
| Country/Place of Origin | India |
