Vol. 11, Special Issue 4 (2022)

Author(s):
Umesh Mirje, Mahadevappa D Gouri, Vivek M Patil, Umashankar BC, Manjunatha L, Basavaraj Inamdar, Raghavendra G and Prasanna SB

Abstract:
The experimental lactating dairy buffaloes were observed for their basic behavioural patterns for a total period of 300 hours. The study was carried out to construct the ethogram for lactating dairy buffalo under intensive farming system. Eight main behavioural categories consisting of forty-seven different patterns were grouped under different title, were used for the study. Behavioural categories included gaits, animal oriented locomotion, visual patterns, object and self oriented contact patterns, vocal and non-vocal patterns, stretching patterns, stationary body positions and stances and feeding, digestive and elimination patterns. A descriptive catalogue of all the behavioural patterns exhibited by adult dairy buffaloes under the farm conditions was made and a continuous behavioural inventory was prepared with an average six-hour observation in a day. Buffaloes were exhibited 41 behavioural patterns out of 47 patterns, of which ten more commonly occurred (MCO) and six were commonly occurred (CO), 16 rarely occurred (RO) and nine very rarely occurred (VRO) and six patterns were not observed at all (NO). The complete study of ethogram is simple and easy tools for assessment of health status of animals. Further, it would help in future planning and preparation of health charts for the animals, so that the productivity of animals can be increased and diseases prevented to save the future economic losses to the farmers.