title: Effects of surgical or banding castration on stress responses and behaviour of bulls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effects of surgical and latex banding methods of castration in 14- and 9-month-old bulls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two randomised, controlled experiments.
  
  
  METHODS
  In Experiment 1, following administration of local anaesthetic, 14-month-old bulls were castrated by either surgical or banding methods, or left entire. Behavioural, plasma cortisol, plasma haptoglobin and bodyweight responses were recorded. A group of steers from the same mob was used as an additional comparison for bodyweight data. In Experiment 2, following administration of local anaesthetic, 9-month-old bulls were castrated by either surgical or banding methods and cortisol, haptoglobin and bodyweight responses were recorded. Entire bulls from the same group were used as an additional comparison for bodyweight data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In Experiment 1, surgical castrates exhibited more leg stamping and tail swishing than banded or entire animals in the hours after castration. Surgical castrates in both experiments also showed an increase in plasma haptoglobin, which resolved after 4 days. Plasma cortisol was generally not affected by castration. Surgical castrates grew more slowly than entire bulls, but faster than banded animals, in the 56 days after treatment. In Experiment 1, after 56 days, the bodyweights of surgical and banded castrates were not different from the bodyweights of the steers. Fourteen-month-old banded cattle developed persistent wounds above the latex band which remained for several weeks after scrotal dehiscence, but this did not occur in the 9-month-old animals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The banding procedure produced fewer acute effects, but a greater suppression of growth than surgical castration and induced prolonged wound formation in the older age group, suggesting that this procedure may not be as suitable for yearling cattle.
authors.affiliation: AgResearch, Ruakura Research Centre, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton, New Zealand.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Cosgrove
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Death
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Duganzich
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Matthews
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001835:Body Weight; D002417:Cattle / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009919:Orchiectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D012408:Rubber; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013737:Testis / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D006242:Haptoglobins; D012408:Rubber; D006854:Hydrocortisone