Infertile bulls versus steers: I. The influence of level of nutrition on relative growth rate

Abstract

SummaryA partial castration technique is proposed for use in cattle husbandry where bulls are used for slaughter beef, whioh renders the animals sterile apparently without otherwise impairing the expression of their male characteristics.Fifty such infertile bulls were compared with an equal number of steers in six growth trials under a range of nutritional conditions. In all cases the bulls grew faster than the steers. The results showed that the higher the rate of gain achieved, the greater was the advantage in favour of the bulls from about 1% at under ½ kg/day to over 25% at 1 kg/day). Accordingly, it is suggested that under conditions of good growth rate (in excess of about ¾ kg/day) complete castration is contra-indicated for efficient beef production, and that partial castration might be adopted as a routine management procedure.