The Brahman is a breed of the Zebu or Bos primigenius indicus cattle reportedly to have been first bred within the United States of America.
The first Indian cattle was reportedly imported from within India in 1849 by a Dr. James Bolton Davis of Fairfield County , located in Southern Carolina who first came across the breed during his tender as the agricultural advisor to the Sultan of Turkey.
Two of the imported bulls from India were presented to a sugar and cotton farmer Richard Barrow of St. Francisville Los Angeles by the English Crown as a gift in recognition of his teaching service. The descendants of the breeds were renown as the Barrow Grade cattle breed and were scattered throughout the Gulf Coastal Regions of the United States.
In 1854 Albert Montgomery and J.M. Frost imported an additional two Indian bred bulls. These bulls were successfully mated with the Barrow Grade cows as the first attempt to produce a cattle breed with the predominant traits of the Bos indicus cattle within the United States.
The Brahman cattle breed during the early 1900s were developed as a result of crossbreeding four strains of cattle including the Nelore otherwise known as the Ongole cattle from the regions of Pakistan, the Kankrej cattle from the district go Kankrej north of Mumbai, along with the Gyr and Gujarat cattle breeds found in the regions of India.
The Brahman cattle breed are recognized as one of the popular breeds within the cattle industry where they are bred mainly for their production of beef within a large number of countries across the globe including, the United States, Argentina, Australia, Paraguay, Brazil and Columbia among several other places.
During the ten year period between 1910 to 1920 a large number of cattle breeds, located in the south western regions of Texas and along the Gulf of Mexico were observed to display specific characteristics of the Bos indicus crossbreeding.
However many of the sires used in the breeding process were developed from crossbreeding with other cattle and as such were not pure breeds.
The American bred Brahman cattle were the first beef cattle to have been bred for the production of beef within the United States of America.
The original Brahman cattle bred within the United States was genetically developed from the movement of over 250 bulls and at least 22 cows found to be descendants of a number of cattle breeds found in India and were successfully imported into the United States sometime between 1854 and 1926.
The American Brahman cattle have been traditionally bred for their beef production within the Agricultural industry. Through selective breeding practices, the Brahman cattle have been widely crossbred with European or Bos taurus breeds of beef cattle to develop a number of other beef cattle bred within the United States such as the Beefmaster, Santa Gertrudis, Brangus, and the Simbrah.
The Brahman cattle are renowned for their versatility and adaptability to withstand extremely hot climatic conditions which has resulted in the breed to be found widespread across countries within the tropical regions of the globe.
The breed has been additionally favored by cattlemen for their vastly thick skin allows the breed to be severely tolerant to insect bites and parasites, their longevity when compared to the average cattle breed in addition to their ability of the average Brahman cow to still give birth to calves after fifteen years.
The Brahman cattle breeds are observed as average sized cattle breed when compared to the traditional breeds found within the United States. The typical Brahman bull will generally weigh between 1600 to 2300 pounds, with the Brahman cows having a weight of about 1200 to 1500 pounds.
Calves at birth will weigh between 55 to 65 pounds and will experience a rapid growth rate than other cattle breeds. The average Brahman cattle have a docile temperament which makes the breed easy to handle by cattlemen and ranchers.
Their thriftiness and adaptability to a wide range of climate allows the breed to be found in a variety of countries worldwide. The breed has often been found to have a distinctive light grey to almost black coat with the majority of the breed appearing light shaded to medium gray in their color. Mature Brahman bulls are much darker in their coat color than the cows with slightly darker patches around the shoulders, lower thighs and the neck.
The thick short glossy coat of the Brahman cattle serves as a protective shield during the warm climate reflecting much of the Sun’s rays allowing the breed to effectively graze in regions affected with higher than normal temperatures.
Their darkly pigmented skin additionally restricts the concentration of the intense sun rays actively protecting the breed’s tissue layers.
Brahman cattle breeds containing traits of Brahman breeding have been widely accepted by cattlemen located in the more southerly coastal regions of the United States where temperatures within such states have been found to be more hot and humid. Over time the breed has been found more widespread across the United States where they have been bred for their quality beef and satisfactory milk.
In 1924 the American Brahman Breeders Association was founded which recognized the Association as the first official herd registry developed to locate and authenticate the bloodlines of the existing cattle breeds.
Today the American Brahman Breeders Association is centrally located in Houston, Texas.
It was the first secretary of the American Brahman Association, Mr. J. W. Sartwelle otherwise renown as the “father of the American Brahman Breeders Association” who officially gave the name “Brahman” to the American breed of cattle.
One of the more predominant tribute made by the Brahman cattle breed has been observed through the rapid growth and recognition of the breed in outside countries of the United States. This has played a huge factor in the economic stability within the United States through their vast contributions to the exportation of cattle breeds.
Cattlemen and ranchers are able to purchase Brahman seed stock for their herds through a number of breeders including:
- The Cattle Range
- V8 Ranch located in South Houston Texas
Cattle for Sale Tags:
- brahman cattle
- brahman cattle for sale
- brahman cattle for sale in texas