Boran cattle are a breed of beef cattle raised mainly for meat production. It is a Zebu breed which was developed from the native shorthorned Zebu cattle of Borana people of the southern Ethiopia.
In most cases, the breed is usually white or fawn in coloration with the bulls being darker with black points. These animals have great similarities to the American Brahman cattle and they are also descended from the cattle from western coast of India.
The Kenyan ranchers developed the Boran breed and it was found in the northern Kenya, southern Ethiopia and southwestern Somalia.
The breed was imported to Australia in 1990. The Boran Cattle Breeder’s Society has been managed since 1951 and strategically breed these animal in Kenya.
There were approximately 454 beef ranches in Kenya as of 2008. And those ranches can be classified based on ownership as one of five categories: co-operative ranches, group ranches, government ranches, private ranches and public ranches. Read some more information about the breed below.
Boran Cattle Characteristics
The Boran cattle are a small to medium sized animal. There are different types of these the animal. The Orma Boran breed is the smallest of the Boran breeds, and smaller than the Kenyan Boran.
The weight of the mature Orma Boran bulls ranges from 250 to 395 kg. On the other hand average live body weight of the mature cows vary from 225 to 355 kg.
The Kenyan Boran breed was developed from the Orma Boran, Borana and Somali Boran. Due to the size and well-developed hindquarters of the Kenyan Boran, it is differentiated from other Boran.
The Kenyan Boran are slightly larger than the Orma Boran. And on an average, average live body weight of the mature Kenyan Boran bulls range from 550 to 850.
While live body weight of the mature cows vary from 400 to 550 kg. Usually coat color of the Kenyan Boran cattle is white with spots, but brown and red coat colors have also been found.
Both bulls and cows usually have horns, and their horns are relatively smaller in size. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Uses
Boran cattle are a beef cattle breed. They are raised mainly for meat production.
Special Notes
The Boran cattle are very hardy breed of cattle. They are very well adapted to local conditions as they have been in Africa for over a thousand years.
They have well resistant to parasites and are known for their fertility, hardiness, docility and early maturity. The breed also shows high resistance to ticks, heat and eye diseases.
It can also endure scarcity of water and can live on low quality feed. The breed mature pretty earlier than most other Bos indicus cattle breeds. However review full breed profile of the Boran cattle in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Boran | |
| Other Name | None | |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly meat | |
| Special Notes | Strong, very hardy, well adapted to native climates, good for meat, excellent meat quality, grow relatively faster | |
| Breed Size | Small to medium | |
| Bulls | 250-395 kg | |
| Cows | 225-355 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates | |
| Coat Color | Black, fawn, red, white | |
| Horned | Yes | |
| Milk Yield | Poor | |
| Rarity | Common | |
| Country/Place of Origin | Eastern Africa |
