A lot of people have been recently asking us as to how one can differentiate between an Indian breed cow (Desi) and a Foreign breed cow (Videshi). This is extremely important to know as so many Gaushalas unknowingly have cows of foreign breeds. Firstly, they can be differentiated on the basis of appearances. There are over 40 identified indigenous cattle breeds in our country along with a lot of unidentified ones. Foreign breeds include Jersey,HF etc. This article will be very helpful to those new members of the cow community who wish to understand better about their cows. We have identified the following factors on the basis of which you can easily identify which cow belongs to which breed.
| Indian Breed | Factor | Foreign Breed |
| They have beautiful long and pointed horns. They possess good shaped and symmetric horns that are very attractive to look at. | Horns | They normally don't possess horns and even if some do, they're quite small in ill-shaped. |
| They have quite a large visible hump on their backs that are clearly visible. | Hump | They have no humps and have flat backs. |
| They have curvy bodies with visibly long and hanging necks. | Body shape | Their bodies lack curves. |
| They are comparatively smaller in size with a good shaped curvy body | Size | They are comparatively larger in size, not being that attractive. |
| They are very strong and hardworking. They can easily adapt to any environmental conditions. | Bulls | They easily get tired and are not meant for hard work. They do not adjust to the Indian weather conditions that well as it does not suit them. |
| The quantity of milk they produce is slightly less but it is of very high nutritional value | Milk | The quantity of milk they produce is more and has a different set of nutritional values attached as compared to the new ones. |
| Indian breed cows make the sound of “maa” | Sound | Foriegn breed cows make a very hoarse sound. |
| They have sensitive, loose and soft skin which has a natural shine to it. It trembles and shakes when touched. | Skin | They have tighter skin that does not shake or tremble when touched. |
| They have smooth and very little hair on their bodies. | Hair on the skin | They have coarse hair on their skin. |
| Their tails have soft and smooth tail hair with no tangles. | Tail | Their tales have coarse tail hair that are very entangled just like a brush. |
| They have beautifully shaped legs that complement their bodies. | Legs | They have somewhat ill-shaped and ugly legs. |
| They have very attractive eyes that reflect a sense of positivity and purity. They almost seem like they have some sort of eyeliner put on them that gives them that serene look. | Eyes | Their eyes are a bit scary to look at as they appear red and unwelcoming. |