Welfare outcomes for 3- and 6-month-old beef calves in a tropical environment castrated surgically or by applying rubber rings
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| Category | Journal Articles |
|---|---|
| Abstract |
Castration of cattle using rubber rings is becoming increasingly popular due to the perceived ease of the procedure and greater operator safety when compared with surgical castration. Few comparative studies have investigated the effects of different castration methods and calf age on welfare outcomes, particularly in a tropical environment. Thirty Belmont Red (a tropically adapted breed), 3-month-old (liveweight 71-119 kg) and 30, 6-month-old (liveweight 141-189 kg) calves were assigned to a two age * three castration (surgical, ring and sham) treatment factorial study (Surg3, Surg6, Ring3, Ring6, Sham3 and Sham6, n=10 for each treatment group). Welfare outcomes were assessed post-castration using: behaviour for 2 weeks; blood parameters (cortisol and haptoglobin concentrations) to 4 weeks; wound healing to 5 weeks; and liveweights to 6 weeks. More Surg calves struggled during castration compared with Sham and Ring ( P |
| Publication Title | Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
| Volume | 171 |
| Pages | 47-57 |
| ISBN/ISSN | 0168-1591 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.08.018 |
| Language | English |
| Author Address | The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, PO Box 6014, N. Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia.c.petherick@uq.edu.au carol.petherick@daf.qld.gov.au |
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