Burdizzo pre-pubertal castration effects on performance, behaviour, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of Holstein bulls fed high-concentrate diets

The effects of Burdizzo pre-pubertal castration on performance, behaviour, carcass, and meat quality of Holstein bulls fed high-concentrate diets were evaluated. Two hundred bulls (8.0 ± 0.42 months old) were randomly assigned to control (CTR) or Burdizzo castration (BURD). After 121 d, ADG, BW, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Meat science 2009-02, Vol.81 (2), p.329-334
Main Authors: Mach, N., Bach, A., Realini, C.E., Font i Furnols, M., Velarde, A., Devant, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
agonistic behavior
animal behavior
Beef
beef bulls
beef carcasses
beef quality
Behaviour
Biological and medical sciences
carcass weight
carcass yield
Castration
cattle feeding
feed concentrates
feed conversion
Feeding. Feeding behavior
flavor
Food industries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Holstein
juiciness
Life Sciences
longissimus dorsi
meat aging
Meat and meat product industries
Meat quality
meat tenderness
sensory evaluation
sexual behavior
shear strength
texture
Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
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Summary:The effects of Burdizzo pre-pubertal castration on performance, behaviour, carcass, and meat quality of Holstein bulls fed high-concentrate diets were evaluated. Two hundred bulls (8.0 ± 0.42 months old) were randomly assigned to control (CTR) or Burdizzo castration (BURD). After 121 d, ADG, BW, and HCW were greater in CTR animals than in BURD animals, as well as, the agonistic and sexual behaviour. However, carcass fatness and intramuscular LT (longissimus thoracis) fat percentage were greater in BURD animals than in CTR animals. Additionally, CTR animals showed lower L ∗, a ∗, and b ∗ than BURD. The WBSF was smaller ( P < 0.01) in BURD than in CTR bulls at all ageing days, and in both treatments decreased ( P < 0.01) from 0 to 7 d of ageing. Additionally, at day 0 of ageing, meat from BURD animals showed similar WBSF to meat from CTR bulls after 7 d of ageing. However, 23% of BURD animals did not have a complete testicular atrophy, suggesting that the method of castration was not completely effective.
ISSN:0309-1740
1873-4138
DOI:10.1016/j.meatsci.2008.08.007