Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-9q27g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-19T19:02:27.987Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effects of age of calves at castration on growth rate, carcass composition and feed efficiency

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

M. A. Carroll ,
J. Pearce ,
J. M. Basset ,
P. B. Gillard  and
T. L. J. Lawrence
M. A. Carroll
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, Reading University
J. Pearce
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, Reading University
J. M. Basset
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, Reading University
P. B. Gillard
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, Reading University
T. L. J. Lawrence
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, Reading University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

An experiment is described in which four pairs of individually fed identical twin calves were used to investigate the effects of castration at 1 and 7 months, on growth, efficiency of food utilization and carcass composition and conformation.

The results indicate that up to 28 weeks of age the late-castrated animals wore superior in liveweight increase, width of head and efficiency with which they converted food to live weight. By slaughter time, at about 18 months, these differences, except width of head, had been eliminated.

The carcasses from both treatments were very similar except that a slightly greater percentage of the total muscle occurred in the thoracic and abdominal muscles of the late-castrated animals than in the early-castrated ones. A statistically significant higher percentage of the total fat occurred as subcutaneous fat in the late-castrated animals than in the early-castrated ones.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 61 , Issue 1 , August 1963 , pp. 19 - 25
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1963

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Brannang, E. (1959). Quoted by A. Hansson (1960). British Cattle Breeders Club Digest, no. 16.Google Scholar
H.M.S.O. Belfast (1959). A Survey of Livestock Management in Northern Ireland.Google Scholar
Klosterman, Earle W., Kunkle, L. E., Gerlough, Paul & Cahill, V. R. (1954). J. Anim. Sci. 13, 817.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sisson, S. & Grossman, J. D. (1958). Anatomy of Domestic Animals, 4th edition. London:W. B. Saunders and Co.Google Scholar
Walker, D. E. (1961). N.Z. J. Agric. Res. 4, 99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar