BORAN CATTLE: BEEF CATTLE BREED

Cow and calf

The Boran is a zebu breed of beef cattle maintained by the Borana pastoralists of southern Ethiopia and contiguous areas of Kenya and Somalia. It is most likely that its ancestors arrived in the horn of Africa about 1,300 to 1,500 years ago from southwest Asia. Large numbers of these animals migrated from the liben plateau of southern Ethiopia, the country of origin to Somalia (where they are named as the Awai cattle) and Kenya (where they are known as the Tanaland Boran and Orma Boran). In the 1920s, European ranchers in Kenya purchased the Tanaland Boran cattle and through selection developed the improved Boran or Kenyan Boran. The breed has also proved popular in Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Characteristics

The Boran is medium in size with a short head, small ears, loose dewlap and a large hump above the shoulders. They can be horned or polled. They vary in height from 114cm to 147cm tall, and in weight bulls weigh approximately 500kg to 850kg. Cows weigh about 380kg to 450kg Their skin is loose, thick and extremely pliable for added insect repellence plus it is dark pigmented with fine short hair for heat tolerance. Hair colour can be a range of colours except brindle or solid black.

The Boran male and female share breed points, the sexes, however, show marked dimorphism - the female being notably small, whilst the male grows to a large size.
The cow has a well-carried udder with strong attachments and neat, small teats, in contrast to some Asian Zebu breeds. Boran heifers reach puberty at an average age of 385 days. She is an excellent mother, not only will she feed her calf so well that high weaning weights are attainable, but she guards against predators, and will never allow her calf to get lost in the bush. Calving problems hardly exist. Calves at birth weigh an average of 28 kg for males and females, 25 kg.

Boran cattle have developed adaptive traits of crucial importance for their survival. Some of these characters are - the ability to withstand periodic shortage of water and feed, ability to walk long distances in search of water and feed and ability to digest low quality feeds. The herd instinct of the Boran makes it easy to manage and survive in bush country. They will always stay together and can 'graze on the trot'.

The well-developed beef conformation shows up in carcase appraisals. The depth of eye muscle, marbling, even fat cover and ratio of hind to forequarter make the Boran difficult to beat, hence the preference of Kenya butchers for young, well-finished Boran steers.