The purpose of this experiment was to study the effects of castration on blood testosterone content, growth performance and appearance characteristics of Wannan cattle aged from 12 to 18 months. Twelve Wannan cattle aged 12 months with similar body weight and body size were selected and assigned to 2 groups with 6 heads in each group. Cattle in one group were castrated, while those in the other group were not castrated. The results showed as follows: castration significantly reduced the average content of blood testosterone of Wannan cattle aged from 12 to 18 months (P0.05), and the difference occurred in the first three months after castration; castration significantly reduced the average value of body length increased per month at 12 to 18 months of age (P0.05). It is concluded that castration can down-regulate blood testosterone content, inhibited the growth of the body sizes shortly after castration, and changed the appearance characteristics of Wannan cattle, especially the development of muscle of neck and front 1/4 of trunk.
ZHANG Xinglong
,
WANG Xianyou
,
HE Yang
,
XUE Zhijie
,
YANG Ying
,
CAO Binghai
. Effects of Castration on Blood Testosterone Content, Growth Performance and Appearance Characteristics of Wannan Cattle Aged from 12 to 18 Months[J]. Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition, 2014
, 26(6)
: 1674
-1680
.
DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-267x.2014.06.032
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