New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Effect of interval from castration of bulls to slaughter on carcass
characteristics and meat quality
T. W. KNIGHT
G. P. COSGROVE
A. F. DEATH
C. B. ANDERSON
AgResearch Grasslands
Private Bag 11008
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Abstract A trial was conducted to see whether reducing the
interval from castration to slaughter could produce steer-like carcasses but
retain the weight advantage of bulls. Ninety Angus, Friesian x Hereford, and
Friesian x Simmental bulls were allocated to nine groups. Four groups were
castrated at 8 months of age (steers), and three groups were castrated on
January 17 (Day 0) at 17 months of age (castrates). One group of bulls and one
group of steers were slaughtered on Day 5, groups of steers and castrates were
slaughtered on Days 62, 111, and 166, and the remaining group of bulls was also
slaughtered on Day 166. On Day 0, bulls and steers were 455 +/- 6 and 426 +/- 5
kg liveweight, respectively. Liveweight gain of castrates was lower than that
of steers for 106 days following castration and the carcass weight (CW)
advantage of bulls over steers at 17 months of age was lost in castrates
slaughtered at Day 62. The rate of change in carcass, meat, and fat
characteristics varied with the attribute under consideration. For castrates
the proportion of carcasses classified as steer at slaughter on Days 62, 111,
and 166 was 20%, 60%, and 73%, respectively. We conclude that the loss of the
weight advantage is faster than most other carcass attributes change and there
is little opportunity to exploit post-pubertal castration for economic
advantage.
Keywords cattle; castration; growth; carcass characteristics;
meat quality
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1999, Vol. 42: 269-277
0028-8233/99/4203-0269 $7.00/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
1999
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (680K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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