2LearnBubalus bubalis
Water buffalo
The water buffalo was domesticated in Asia and is kept for milk, meat and draught work, especially in wet rice-growing country. River types are mainly dairy animals, while swamp types work in paddy fields. Their rich milk is the traditional milk for…
Keeping
How it is kept
Kept for
- Dairy
- Meat
- Draught work
- Mature weight
- 350–900 kg
- Gestation
- 310 days
- Temperament
- Usually docile with familiar handlers; protective of calves
- Forage
- Efficient grazers of coarse grasses and wetland plants, with clean water and minerals.
- Housing
- A wallow, pond or deep shade to keep cool, because they have few sweat glands. Strong fencing and shelter from cold weather.
- Good to know
- Water buffalo cannot cool themselves well and need water or mud to wallow in during hot weather. Their milk is high in fat and protein. They are long-lived and bond strongly with familiar people.
Breeds
Water buffalo breeds
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