J. Anim Sci.
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J. Anim Sci. 1970. 31:296-301.
© 1970 American Society of Animal Science
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Effects of Castration on Performance and Carcass Characters of Monozygotic Bovine Twins

E. J. Warwick, P. A. Putnam, R. L. Hiner and R. E. Davis1

U. S. Department of Agriculture,2

Abstract

Twenty-nine pairs of bovine monozygotic male twins were fed to a slaughter weight of slightly over 408.2 kilograms. Eleven pairs were fed with both members of the pair as either uncastrated males (bulls) or as castrated males (steers) while 18 pairs were "split" with one member of each pair fed as a non-castrate and one as a castrate. Uncastrated males had relatively large advantages over castrates of 23% in rate of gain, 16% in efficiency of gain and 12% in yield of lean in the 9-10-11th rib cut. Castrates had significant or highly significant advantages in carcass grade, marbling, and flavor of lean. Other tenderness and palatability characters had only small and nonsignificant differences, but with trends favoring the castrates.

Statistically significant but relatively small sex x pair interactions were noted for rate of gain. Larger sex x pair interactions for several carcass characters measuring or related to carcass fat-lean distributions and proportions were observed. The results indicate no serious obstacles to interchangeable use of bulls and steers in progeny testing programs for gaining ability, but suggest caution should be exercised in using them in this fashion for carcass evaluation.

Footnotes

1 The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Mr. Douglas Thompson in selecting the twin calves used and in supervising their feeding, of Mrs. Ruth McKenzie for collecting much of the meat data, of Mrs. Dorothy Groth for tabulating the data, and of Drs. Gary V. Richardson and Ruel Wilson for advice and invaluable assistance on analysis of data.

2 Beef Cattle Research Branch, Animal Husbandry Research Division, A.R.S., Beltsville, Maryland 20705.






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Copyright © 1970 by the American Society of Animal Science.