Why do they castrate bulls?

Question

Why do they castrate bulls?

Answer 1

Not all bulls have high breeding value so only the best is kept entire to breed. It's unnatural selection if you like but it improves the quality of the species. Some philosophies recommend applying the principle to the animal homo sapiens. A neutered male human is a eunuch.

Answer 2

Because the bulls can't prevent it.

Answer 3

In order to produce muscle animals need testosterone, which argues strongly for leaving a bull intact, but steers have less 'flavour' and will laze about more, grow fatter and have less muscle bulk.

In some markets bulls are binging a premium over steers, but in the main market steers are preferred.

The danger of handling a bull approaching 600 kg strongly inclines most ranchers to go for steers.

The risk of infection during castration is now low enough to be almost ignored.

Unfortunately it is not absolutely clear that we are selecting the best bulls for breeding. If we happen to make a bad choice it can badly influence a whole lot of generations. Leaving the lot of the bulls intact prevents a major problem but ensures only mediocre results. But also a bunch of bulls can take to fighting like crazy.

Answer 4

On our farm we castrate anything male that will not be used for breeding. This includes cattle, goats, donkeys and dogs. We do it for a number of reasons. The main reason is that we raise beef. Only a select few bulls are good enough to be kept intact and used for breeding. You don't want to pass along anything but the best genes. The castrated males (steers) are used as meat animals. We castrate bull calves between 2-4 months (and sometimes earlier) before they start to produce hormones and really act like bulls. This way, they can put all the feed they consume towards making meat. They are also easier and safer to handle, calmer and healthier. You can eat an intact bull, but the meat isn't going to be as good and they will be harder to handle. Intact bulls will find a way out of almost any pasture or pen to get to a cow in heat. I have the Belted Galloway/Hereford crosses to prove it!

Answer 5

bulls are castrated so they can be used to produce beef and not intended for breeding purposes, this allows them to gain wieght and sent to slaughter faster then bulls   or as we would say on the ranch... it takes their mind off of a--s and puts it on  grass.

Answer 6

great answer from Ally's mom but one more thing to expound on.  When a calf is castrated it allows it use the feed for meat production.  That means you end up with a bigger adult animal to sale at the market. Yes they are easier to handle and that definately helps But its bulk that counts in meat production.

Answer 7

It is Hillary Clinton's new law that all males over three months of age must be castrated. There are no restrictions on how it is done, humane conditions are acceptable, but the more painful the better.

Answer 8

So they can't mate.

Answer 9

Steers are easier to handle.

Steers may not grow faster than young bulls but they are usually more efficient ( less feed per pound of meat produced)

Only those bulls having the most desirable traits (sometimes pretty arbitrary) are kept for breeding.  

In range breeding one bull is usually placed with 20 to 30 cows so there is an excess of bulls.

Answer 10

The meat of bulls is dryer and is used mostly for making bologna, hence the term "bologna bulls".  Because of the low value of bologna, the price per pound is usually discounted quite a bit.  In addition, bulls are destructive and can tear up a iron ball in a sand pile.  They destroy fences, hay rings, gates, sides of barns, stalls, sides of trucks, loading chutes, squeeze chutes, water tanks and so on.  And those are the nice, gentle bulls.  If you want to see what a mean bull does, check out one of those little Jersey bulls.  Pound for pound, they're meaner than any thing out there.

Answer 11

So they will not  exhibit secondary s*x characteristics- thus making a more marketable product.

Answer 12

a castrated bull is an oxen or steer and the fact is he will put on more weight/growth as a steer than he would as a bull. secondly every farmer wants to upgrade his herd and you can't do that with indiscriminate breeding. one herd bull can service 50 cows. you should have that sort of ratio in your animals.