Is it good to castrate bulls calves at weaning time?
No. To castrate calves at weaning time which is already a stressful time, often causes calves to succumb to sickness. By castrating well before weaning, stress can be handled better because it is spread over time. What about the method of castration? The two most common methods for castrating bulls are surgical and rubber banding. When using plasma cortisol concentrations as a measure of stress response, there is no significant difference between surgically castrated and banded cattle. However, when measuring Haptoglobin levels (a serum protein) to quantify discomfort, the surgical procedure causes higher levels. If done appropriately, banding is the less stressful and safer of the two options. Is it advisable to band bulls 1-year or older? Although banding bulls at 1 year of age or older is considered less stressful than surgery, both options cause significant stress to the animal. Rather than fitting the animal to the production system or the market place by castrating, it is often m
