Nguni Cattle

Nguni cattle are hardy, profitable, and low maintenance for beef farmers.

Summary

Nguni cattle are native to the Southern region of Africa. They are widely known and revered for their eye-catching speckled and multi-patterned hides. This cattle breed is also known for its good temperament and ability to withstand harsh climate conditions. Nguni cattle originated as a hybrid of various Indian and European breeds. They are sought after for their excellent natural immunity to tick-borne diseases.

Facts

1. Nguni cattle are a hardy breed, resisting ticks and tick-borne diseases, and withstanding harsh climate conditions of extreme heat and cold.
2. Nguni cattle are the most profitable and economically friendly breed for farmers in that they produce beef at the absolute lowest cost of production per hectare of land.
3. In addition to their ease of calving and exceptional maternal skills in fending off predators and taking care of their young, Nguni cattle also have a low mortality rate.
4. The nature of the Nguni cattle hide and pigmentation protects them from skin and eye cancer.
5. While the quality of their milk is more than adequate, Nguni cattle produce fewer than five liters of it per day.
6. Nguni cattle are not expensive to take care of. They have low maintenance and veterinary costs, and low feeding costs as they can forage for themselves, and they are not picky eaters.

Scientific Name and Family

Ancestors of the Nguni cattle first arrived on the African continent about 8,000 years ago as different tribes moved from northern Africa to the Southern region during south-bound migrations.

Nguni cattle, also called Sanga cattle, get their name from the Nguni tribes of Africa. This cattle breed belongs to the order Artiodactyla (hoofed animals who bear equal weight on two of their five toes) and the family Bovidae (cloven-hoofed, ruminant animals). Nguni cattle are a hybrid of Bos indicus and Bos taurus species, a mixture of European and Zebu (humped cattle originating in the Indian subcontinent) cattle breeds, but you will find them listed as Bos taurus.

Bovidae is comprised of 52 genera and 146 extant species, including the goat, antelope, bison, wildebeest, and sheep.

Other animals that belong to the order Artiodactyla include pigs, hippos, camels, buffalo, giraffes, dolphins, whales, and orca.

History

 Now indigenous to southern Africa, the Nguni cattle were brought by ancestors of the Nguni tribe when they migrated from northern to southern Africa thousands of years ago.

The Nguni cattle are a main type of Sanga cattle (hybrids of Zebu and the humpless cattle in East Africa). Throughout their history, the Nguni cattle were deemed an inferior breed when compared to exotic European cattle breeds, which led to many selective breeding efforts between Zebu and European breeds aimed at improving the species.

However, in the late 1900s, the favorable qualities of the Nguni breed became more widely recognized and understood in that the indigenous breed was better adapted to its environment than exotic cattle breeds and, therefore, outperformed them.

Description

Nguni cattle are well-adapted to the Southern African region. As a result of thousands of years of natural evolution, they possess characteristics and traits that enable them to not only withstand but thrive in adverse conditions of extreme cold and heat.

Size

The Nguni breed is smaller in size when compared to other breeds in other countries. This is an adaptive trait that allows them to survive in their grazing regions. The size of the cattle is dependent on their nutritional intake. Nguni bulls are medium-sized, averaging about 1,100-1,550 pounds in weight. They are muscular and have humps on their neck region which are made up of more muscle than fat.

The cows are small and weigh between 700-975 pounds. Their bodies are sleek around the neck region and possess a characteristic sloping rump which typically helps them avoid complications during the birthing process. Nguni cows do not have humps like bulls. They have small to medium-sized udders with small teats.

Appearance

The beauty of this breed lies in the multicolored and multi-patterned nature of its hides, which can display brown, red, white, tan, black, or yellow colors, either solidly or mixed in different patterns. Each animal has its unique color and pattern, as individual as fingerprints in humans. Even the shape of their horns is distinct and unique. Also, the hide of the animal is sleek, preventing ticks from attaching to it. One of the best adaptive features is that they have a natural immunity to tick-borne diseases.

As is typical of animals belonging to the Bovidae family, Nguni cattle are ruminant animals, possessing a four-chamber stomach.

Nguni cattle are known to be a docile and good-tempered breed.

Habitat

The Nguni cattle breed is raised by the Bantu-speaking people found in the eastern part of Swaziland (Eswatini), the Eastern part of Zululand in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, and parts of Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Herds graze on the high fields, or highveld in Afrikaans, which refers to a part of the inland plateau in southern Africa.

Population

The last population estimate for Nguni cattle from 2005 stood at 1.8 million for South Africa and 340,275 for Swaziland. Though this breed occurs naturally in certain regions of southern Africa, only 1400 cattle have been officially registered by 140 breeders outside of the aforementioned countries.

The breed is not currently listed on the IUCN Red List of endangered species.

Diet

Some of the most useful traits of Nguni cattle are their foraging and browsing skills. They eat natural mixed grasses and thick bush and graze well on steep hills, as well as in the feedlot. They fatten up well either way. It helps that they aren’t picky eaters.

They are ruminant animals, which means that they possess four stomachs. Digestion begins in the mouth, and when the food moves into the first stomach, or rumen, it is turned into cud and regurgitated to be chewed again. This process is known as chewing the cud.

Reproduction and Lifespan

Nguni cattle have an optimal reproductive life, mostly as a result of some of their favorable physical characteristics. The cows have sloping rumps and small uteruses which makes them less likely to experience complications during calving. They have a relatively long lifespan and mature quite early.

Nguni cows, or heifers, reach sexual maturation at around 14-15 months of age. Weight influences puberty, therefore heifers need to have reached 65-70% of their mature weight to attain puberty. Nguni cows typically carry their calves for 285 days on average. This number varies from cow to cow, ranging from 275-295 days.

A cow will usually produce at least 10 calves during her lifetime. Nguni cows are dedicated mothers and their calves fatten up quickly. They grow over 1.5 pounds daily, weighing up to 385 pounds when they are weaned, typically at around 10 months old.

Depending on the breeding management system in place, heifers have about 80 days before they are ready to get pregnant again, either through natural means or via artificial insemination.

Nguni cattle are farmed for their milk and meat. One carcass will produce about 400-500 pounds of marbled meat with minimal fat. Although their milk production is lower than some other breeds, they still manage to produce about 1200 kg or over 1.3 tons of milk a year.

Predators and Threats

When it comes to the elements, this breed can withstand even the toughest conditions. Nguni cattle are resistant to a wide host of tick-related diseases, such as trypanosomosis and heartwater. They are a hardy breed, tolerating extreme heat and cold conditions. The cows mature early and possess a high calving percentage.

Nevertheless, Nguni cattle still have natural predators such as cheetahs, who mostly target calves. Nguni cows are aggressive toward predators and will protect their young.

Related Animals

• English Longhorn cattle
• Fleckvieh Cattle
• Bison