Efficiency of Sustained Work and Its Influence on Physiological Responses in Young Bulls of Hariana Cattle

Studies were carried out on forty young bulls of the Hariana breed (around 18 months of age) selected on the basis of their dam's milk yield at the animal farm of CCS HAU, Hisar during the period 1993-1999. Since animals showed variation in capacity to work over prolonged periods, they were subjected to regimes of carting without load and with 8 qtls. of load for three hours. The study revealed that maximum change took place in the pulse rate, followed by respiration rate and rectal temperature. The mean fatigue score for pulling an empty cart ranged between 1.66 to 2.20 after two hours work, and 2.36 to 2.73 after three hours work. For a cart loaded with 8 qtls., the corresponding ranges were 2.90 to 3.36 and 3.40 to 4.10, respectively. These results indicated that the animals under experiment had the capacity to pull moderate load (8 qtls.) for about two hours without showing any serious effect on the ability to recover and soon to work again.