A Castração como Ferramenta de Manejo Produtivo de Bovinos de Corte

Abstract

Castrated cattle for meat production are widely used in Brazil. Basically, the castration of cattle is performed in order to improve the handling and finishing of the animal carcass. Indeed, several studies have shown that castration improves casting finish, because castration suppresses production of androgen hormones like testosterone that influence the increase of the animal's muscularity. Thus, the deposition of fat in the priority weight gain composition accelerates, resulting in better carcass finish. However, non-castrated animals have higher results for the carcass weight, carcass dressing, longissimus dorsi area, and in some cases, a higher proportion of muscle in the carcass, providing greater efficiency in transforming food into weight gain. Thus, non-castrated animals can make the most efficient production system.