Getting castration right on beef farms

The majority of male calves from both the suckler and dairy herd are produced as steers and are slaughtered at 24-30 months of age.

This is one of Ireland’s unique selling points – being able to produce these cattle off a grass-based system.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of male calves produced as either under-16-month bulls or in some cases older bulls. These animals are finished at younger ages following an intensive finishing period on high-concentrate diets.

Figures for 2016 from Bord Bia indicated that three out of every 10 cattle are slaughtered as young bulls, which represents a fourfold increase over the past 10 to 15 years.

Bulls have greater growth rates, improved feed efficiency and leaner carcases compared with steers due to higher levels of the male hormone testosterone. As young bulls are finished indoors for the second grazing season on many farms, this allows extra cow numbers be carried at grass, meaning higher output and in many cases higher profits.

However, there are some disadvantages to bull beef production that may not suit some farmers’ beef production systems. These include an increase in the aggressive nature and sexual behaviour of bulls. This will mean handling and housing facilities need to be well constructed and heavy duty in many cases.

Research has also shown that there is a increase in the proportion of dark cutting meat from bull beef which processors and consumers see as a negative.

Why castrate?

Castration is a husbandry practice carried out on young male animals throughout the world to help reduce aggression towards other animals and improve handler safety. It reduces sexual behaviour and unwanted pregnancies and also improves meat quality.

Irish meat processors have been quite vocal in recent years that while there is a market for bull beef, it is a lot smaller than our steer and heifer market and steer beef gives Ireland a point of difference when trying to sell into European markets dominated by bull beef production.

What are the legal requirements?

Although castration inflicts a degree of pain, stress and inflammatory reactions and may cause a period of reduced growth rate and animal performance, there are legislative requirements aimed at ensuring animal welfare standards are kept high and castration is carried out in a humane way.

In Ireland, use of anaesthesia is required for surgical/burdizzo castration of cattle over six months of age (Protection of animals act, 1965). Rubber ring castration (or use of other devices restricting the flow of blood to the scrotum) without use of anaesthetic can only be performed in calves less than seven days of age. Where anaesthetic is required for castration, the procedure must be performed by a veterinary practitioner.

Methods of castration

There are three main techniques used to castrate cattle:

The burdizzo

The burdizzo is a castration device which employs a large clamp that crushes and destroys the spermatic cord carrying the blood to the testicles but the skin of the scrotum remains intact.

Each spermatic cord should be crushed, second below the first for ten seconds each along the neck of the scrotum. Once the blood supply to the testicles is lost, testicular necrosis or wasting away occurs and the testicles shrink, soften and deteriorate completely.

As a surgical incisison or cut is not made with this method, burdizzo castration is usually bloodless and therefore the potential for haemorrhage or infection is minimised. Its is very important that the burdizzo is in good condition and that the jaws of the burdizzo are parallel and close uniformly across their width so that pressure is even across the jaws when closed.

The burdizzo should be left slightly open when not in use. Swelling can occur shortly after castration and animals should be monitored closely for a number of days after the procedure.

Castration should not be carried out around other stressful periods such as weaning or housing as this stress could lower the animal’s immunity and increase the incidence of other disease such as pneumonia.

It’s important to use clean equipment, have very good handling facilities and adequate help present and also to clamp one side and then the other, not one clamp across the whole scrotum.

Burdizzo tips

Banding/rubber rings

Banding castration involves the application of a specifically designed elastic band with the aid of an applicator around the neck of the scrotum, close to the testicles. This technique works by cutting the blood supply to the testicles and causing them to degenerate and separate from the body.

Small rubber rings may be used on very young calves. For older animals, a heavy wall latex band is used along with a fastening grommet to secure the tubing at the appropriate tension. Failure of this method can sometimes occur if the elastrator band breaks or is not tightened properly.

Tetanus can be an issue in banded calves so it is important that animals receive a tetanus/clostridia vaccine to minimise the risk. Animals should receive their initial shot four to six weeks before the procedure is carried out and the booster shot on the day of the procedure.

Rubber ring application procedure in young calves

Once you have the calf restrained, the first thing to do is check that both testes are present in the scrotum. Occasionally, you may be able to massage them down.

Once you have the two testes, squeeze them down to the base of the scrotum.

Then, with the prongs of the elastrator facing upwards, towards the calf’s belly, squeeze the handles and expand the ring so it can be easily placed over the scrotum and placed just above the top of the testes.

Release the handles, slip the prongs from underneath the ring and check that both of the testes are fully below the ring

Surgical castration

There are two principal surgical castration techniques that are performed by a veterinary practitioner. The first technique involves cutting off the bottom third of the scrotum with a scalpel or sharp castration knife to expose the testicles by decent through the scrotal incision.

In the second technique, the lateral scrotal walls ate cut with a scalpel or a Newberry knife to expose the testicles in a vertical fashion. Testicles may then be removed using a scapel or emasculator. Good hygiene is extremely important when using these techniques. Clostridial vaccination is also recommended with this method.

This method is the most failsafe in terms of castration. However, it is also the method which has the most problems and after effects with infection and haemorrhage.

Surgical castration points

Is there any benefit in delaying castration in cattle?

There is a perception among producers that delaying castration could extend the production advantages of keeping animals entire. After puberty, bulls will grow faster than steers, but the liveweight gains are ultimately lost when the animals are castrated.

A number of Teagasc studies have shown that there is no advantage in delaying castration up to 17 months of age in terms of slaughter weight or carcase weight at 22 months.

Dr Bernadette Earley and Dr Gerry Keane have carried out extensive research examining the effects of castration on beef cattle at Teagasc, Grange, Co Meath.

One study conducted by Dr Earley on three separate farms compared burdizzo and banding castration using 12 month old bulls weighing 399kg. The study compared 1. Burdizzo castrated animals; 2. Banding castrated animals; and 3. Untreated intact bulls (experimental control).

The results indicated no difference between the performance of band and burdizzo castrates during the period 15-84 days post-castration. In a separate study using Friesian and Charolais X Friesian calves weighing 214kg, Dr Keane compared three castration methods: 1. Complete castration in autumn; 2. Split castration (right testicle in autumn and left in spring); 3. Complete castration in spring. There was no difference among the different treatments on weight gains to the end of the second grazing season.

Further research by Dr Earley examined the effect of Burdizzo castration of young calves ranging from 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 months of age. The results demonstrated that calves castrated at 1.5 months of age had the least increases in measures of stress of stress and scrotal swelling following castration.