1. ORIGIN:
Common European water buffalo TYPES:
Mediterranean BREEDS:
Romanian Buffalo CROSSINGS:
Romanian Buffalo breed is sometimes crossed with Murrah 2. GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS:
North west and central regions 3. NUMBERS:
total = 209432 Adult females= 97320
Adult males = 2510
Young stock = 109602
The numbers are slightly increasing 4. NUMBER OF HERDS:
total : 86480 private herds: 86471 adults 95544 young 106171 research herds: 1 adults 155 young 307 industrial herds: 8 adults 1621 young 3124 5. DESCRIPTION OF ANIMAL:adult male adult female height at withers(cm) 140-142 131-133 weight(kg) 650-680 530-560 color black with some brown or grey some white spots horns 6. PRODUCTIVITY: Milk yield varies according to season of calving, lactation number, level of feeding, length of lactation. n days lactation/year: 252-285 lactation milk yield (kg): 958-1455 age at first calving: 38-42 average lactation number: 6-9 age at slaughter for young stock: in general males are slaughtered at 22-24 months and 350-400 kg or at 3-4 months of age and 60-100 kg in private farms or in specialized fattening centers. The females are slaughtered after the first lactation or after the end of production life at 500-600 kg. is the calf suckeling: generally calves suckle 2-3 months in private and industrial farms. Breeding calves are weaned at 120 days , when able to eat 1.5-2 kg of hay, 1.5-2 kg concentrate and 4-5 kg silage. are cows milked once a day: no are cows milked twice a day: in the morning and evening where: are cows milked by hand: yes in private farms are cows machine milked: yes in research and industrial farms 7. FERTILITY n calves/year: .68-.88 season of calving: spring-summer 8. HOUSING Shelters are linearly disposed with 3 or 4 sides, one or two shapes, with or without manger and are used during unfavorable weather conditions. No matter of season a semi-intensive maintenance is used with closed barns, tied in winter and a combination with grazing in warm seasons. The young buffaloes are kept for grazing on pasture. 9. ARE BUFFALOES USED FOR DRAUGHT Dual purpose types of buffalo are used for draft in small private farms; plowing the land, transporting crops, wood, manure, roughages etc. For draft, both male and female buffaloes are used at about 3 years of age,but females are preferred. 10. SOURCES OF FEED Spring... leguminous, granineous, and natural hay; Winter... concentrate mixture, wheat bran (private farms) and silo (industrial and research farms) Summer/Autumn... graze and concentrate mixture or wheat bran 11. TOTAL ANNUAL PRODUCTION BY SPECIES adult total consumed cheese fermented butter meat females milk fresh milk and & ghee mt n * * *** yogart* ** ** total 47347 27810 12063 2714 3660 588 buffalo 97320 1168 310 858 32 cow 1881680 42339 27500 7365 2714 3660 389 sheep & goat 8993000 3840 3840 167 *thousands hectoliters **thousands tons ***tonns 11a LIVESTOCK per 100 HECTARES of LAND head in 1995 total farms private farms total bovine 25.5 27.8 cow & buffalo adult females 14.0 16.4 total sheep & goats 86.9 100.5 sheep and goat adult females 63.2 74.1 12. MILK RECORDING Milk recording is based on official control performed by specialised district staff in farms. periodic official control in farms is performed at 28 day intervals, beginning the 5th day from calving. in private farms a so called "diversified control"(one milking for 2-3 controls per lactation) is performed. 13. REPRODUCTION has each farmer his own bull: in research and industrial farms only are bulls for natural service available in villages: 2-4 how many: in between villages or communities a rotation of sires every 3 years is practiced. artificial insemination available: in research farms only (about 100 buffalo cows inseminated/year. 14. DISEASES enteropulmonare viral disease in calves 0-3 months of age... tuberculosis appears rarely 15. SOCIAL POSITION OF BUFFALO FARMERS The social position of buffalo farmers is good, with average living standard. 16. PERSPECTIVES OF BUFFALO PRODUCTION we want to create a duel purpose type9milk and meat) having 134-136 cm height, ovr 600 kg body weight as an adult , milk production over 1600 kg milk and 12 kg fat, age at freshening under 36-37 months and 600-800 g. daily gain. 17. REPORT SUBMITTED BY Eng. I. Popovici