They are well suited to fast road work, being able to pull a one ton
load at 2 miles per hour and cover 20 miles a day. While females are
kept primarily for breeding of oxen, they are also milked.
The breed averages 1400 kg of milk per lactation
but high producing animals will produce over 2300 kg in a single lactation.
The breed belongs to the shorthorned type of
zebu and is grey or white. The average cow weighs 310 kg and the average
bull 430 kg.
Reference:
Genus Bos: Cattle Breeds of the World, 1985,
MSO-AGVET (Merck & Co., Inc.), Rahway, N.J.
Mason, I.L. 1996. A World Dictionary of Livestock
Breeds, Types and Varieties. Fourth Edition. C.A.B International.
273 pp.
Photographs:
R. E. McDowell, Professor Emeritus of International
Animal Science, Cornell University, and provided by Paul O. Brackelsberg,
Professor of Animal Science, Iowa State University
