The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of castration and slaughter age on performance and meat quality of Holstein bulls fed a high-concentrate diet. A total of 132 animals (116 ± 3.7 kg of BW and 97 ± 2.4 d of age) were randomly allocated in 6 pens using a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. Three castration ages [bulls, animals castrated at 3 mo (CAS3), and animals castrated at 8 mo of age (CAS8)] and 3 slaughter ages (10, 12, and 14 mo of age) were evaluated. Feed intake was recorded daily using a computerized concentrate feeder, and BW was recorded every 14 d. The 9th to 11th rib section was removed at 24 h postmortem and dissected into lean, fat, and bone, and meat quality was evaluated on the LM. Castration, at 3 or 8 mo of age, reduced (P < 0.001) ADG and muscle pH and impaired (P < 0.01) feed efficiency. As slaughter age increased, concentrate consumption increased linearly (P < 0.001) and feed efficiency was reduced linearly (P < 0.001). Slaughter age also affected (P < 0.001) meat pH. Significant interactions between castration and slaughter ages were also observed in carcass conformation (P < 0.05), fatness (P < 0.001), percentage of subcutaneous fat (P < 0.01), carcass dressing percentage (P < 0.05), and intramuscular fat (P < 0.05) and tended to be significant in intermuscular fat (P = 0.09). In Holstein animals, castration age affects performance and meat pH regardless of slaughter age, and slaughter age affects performance and meat pH independently of castration. However, in Holstein animals, castration affects several characteristics related to fat deposition differently depending on slaughter age, such as carcass fat cover and intramuscular, intermuscular, and subcutaneous fat. Copyright © 2013. American Society of Animal Science .

Angus crossbred bulls (n = 60; 257 ± 5.4 d of age; initial BW 358.8 ± 3.78 kg) were used to study the effect of a vaccine against gonadotropin-releasing factor (GnRF) and band castration on behavioral and physiological indicators of pain. Cattle were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: bulls, band-castrated calves without pain mitigation (castrated), and immune-vaccinated animals administered an anti-GnRF vaccine (vaccinated). All animals were fitted with a radio frequency ear tag so that individual animal feed intake and feeding behavior were recorded daily over the entire trial using an electronic feed bunk monitoring system. Two doses of anti-GnRF vaccine were administrated on d –35 and 0 and band castration was performed on d 0. Animal BW was recorded weekly starting on d –36 until d 56. Visual analog scores (VAS) were measured on d –36 –35, –1, and 0, and salivary cortisol concentration was measured at –30, 0, 30, 60, 120, and 270 min on d –35 and 0 after castration. Saliva and blood were obtained on d 1, 2, 5, and 7 and weekly until d 56 for determination of cortisol and complete blood cell count. Video data were collected for pain, sexual, and aggressive behavior daily the first week and once a week until d 56. Data were analyzed with a mixed-effect model with castration, time, and their interactions as main effects. Vaccinated calves had reduced ADG and intake (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively) during the first week after vaccination. Band-castrated calves had reduced ADG and intake (P < 0.001) until the end of the study. No differences in salivary cortisol and VAS were observed among groups at d –35 after the first vaccination and before band castration. However, on d 0, castrated cattle had greater cortisol concentrations and VAS (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively) than bulls and vaccinated animals. Complete blood cell count did not differ (P > 0.05) between treatments on d 0, 1, and 2. At d 56, vaccinated calves had greater (P < 0.05) final BW than band-castrated calves and both had less final BW than bulls. There was no indication that vaccination caused any physiological or behavioral changes indicative of pain. In contrast, band castration resulted in elevated cortisol scores and VAS indicative of a pain response and behavior related to pain (P < 0.001) until d 42 of the study. The present study demonstrates that anti-GnRF vaccine is a viable animal welfare–friendly alternative to traditional band castration in beef cattle under North American feedlot practices.

Twenty-four individually housed Holstein bulls (395 ± 7.3 kg BW and 252 ± 3.1 d age) were exposed to a 2 × 2 factorial design (meal vs. pellets; with vs. without straw) to evaluate the effect of concentrate form and provision of straw in finishing diets on behavior and expression of rumen and cecum epithelium genes related to inflammation and behavior. Concentrate and straw consumption were recorded monthly and behavior (self-grooming, social, oral nonnutritive, tongue rolling, eating, drinking, ruminating, and lying) was recorded every two weeks. Bulls were slaughtered after 64 d of exposure to treatments, lesions on the rumen and liver were assessed, and samples of the rumen and cecum were collected. Straw supplementation tended (P = 0.08) to increase concentrate intake (8.0 vs. 7.4 ± 0.26 kg/d), increased (P < 0.01) the proportion of time ruminating (9.4 vs. 3.1 ± 1.02%), and decreased (P < 0.01) the occurrence of oral nonnutritive behaviors (0.52 vs. 1.34 ± 0.123 times/15 min) relative to bulls deprived of straw. Provision of straw increased ruminal pH, but the magnitude of the change was greater when the concentrate was provided as meal compared with pellets (interaction, P < 0.05). When straw was not supplemented, all rumen samples had papillae fusion, whereas only 16.7% of bulls fed pellets and straw had papillae fusions (interaction, P < 0.05). Vacuole grading of the rumen papillae was less (P < 0.01) in bulls provided straw compared with bulls without straw. For the ruminal epithelium, straw provision tended to increase the relative expression ratio of free fatty acid receptor 2 (which stimulates peptide YY, PYY, and serotonin secretion; P = 0.06) and α-2C adrenergic receptor (which modulates immune reactions and behavior; P = 0.09) and increased occludin and claudin-4 (tight junction proteins; P < 0.05), along with il-1β and tnf_α (proinflammatory cytokines; P < 0.01) and toll-like receptor-4 (P < 0.01) in the rumen. Moreover, it also tended to increase the relative gene expression ratio of β-defensin1 (an antimicrobial peptide; P = 0.10) and intestinal alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.10). Bulls fed pellets had a decreased ruminal relative expression ratio of α-2C adrenergic receptor (P < 0.05). Bulls without straw had increased (P < 0.05) the cecum relative expression ratio of il-1β. In conclusion, the lack of straw supplementation in bulls fed high-concentrate diets modifies behavior and affects rumen macroscopic morphology and expression of epithelial genes that could be related to behavior and inflammation. Copyright © 2016. American Society of Animal Science .

Forty-seven Holstein calves (130 ± 3.43 kg of BW and 95 ± 1.5 d of age) were randomly assigned to 2 treatments [intact (INT), n = 23; or castrated (CAS), n = 24] to evaluate the effect of ring castration at 3 mo of age on welfare indicators. Castration was performed with local anesthesia (2% lidocaine, 3 mL in each testis and 2 mL in the scrotum) and analgesia (flunixin meglumine, intramuscularly, 3 mg/kg of BW). No local anesthesia or analgesia was used with INT calves. Serum cortisol concentration was determined at −120, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 180 min with respect to castration. At d 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49, serum haptoglobin concentration was determined, rectal body and scrotal temperatures were measured, lesions at the castration site were scored, and the activity and behavior of 18 calves (9 INT and 9 CAS) were recorded continuously for 24 h. Weekly BW and concentrate and straw DMI were recorded. To evaluate humoral immunity, at 14 d after castration, ovalbumin was injected subcutaneously and serum antibody titers against ovalbumin before the injection and at d 35 were determined. At d 49 after castration, calves were intravenously injected with ACTH, and at 0, 1, 2, and 4 h thereafter, serum cortisol and testosterone concentrations were determined. Average daily gain was greater (P < 0.001) in INT than CAS calves (1.36 vs. 1.16 ± 0.038 kg/d, respectively). Area under the curve of cortisol at castration day was reduced (P < 0.05) in CAS calves compared with INT calves (18 vs. 33 ± 5.2 nmol/L per hour, respectively). The main scrotal lesion score observed in CAS calves throughout the study was 0, corresponding to no visible swelling, inflammation, or infection. However, scrotal lesion scores classified as 1 (swelling) were greater (P < 0.01) at 21 and 28 d after castration than at 1, 3, 7, and 14 d. Abnormal standing occurred more frequently (P < 0.001) in CAS than INT calves (2.6 vs. 0.5 ± 0.03%, respectively) from 3 to 14 d after castration. Head turning tended (P = 0.06) to be greater at d 14 of the study in CAS than INT calves (3.0 vs. 2.6 ± 0.04%, respectively). At d 49, 100% of CAS calves had no testes and no serum testosterone was detected. In summary, ring castration of Holstein calves performed at 3 mo of age with local anesthesia and analgesia decreased ADG and affected some behavioral traits during the first 14 d after castration. However, intake, serum cortisol and haptoglobin concentrations, rectal temperature, and humoral immunity were not altered.

Transport conditions have the potential to alter the physiological responses of animals to the psychological or physical stress of transport. Transportation may introduce multiple physical and psychological stressors to unweaned calves and adult cattle, including noise, overcrowding, food and water deprivation, extreme temperatures, commingling with unfamiliar animals, handling by unfamiliar humans, and being placed in a novel environment upon arrival. Apart from these factors, the type of road and even driving skill may affect the welfare of animals. One of the concerns regarding cattle transport is that the handling and marketing of animals prior to a journey may lengthen the period of feed withdrawal. Furthermore, feed withdrawal can impact animal welfare through hunger and metabolic stress. Transportation is also associated with a decrease in animal performance as well as an increase in the incidence of bovine respiratory disease. It is well established that the transportation of cattle is a stressor that causes a quantifiable response; however, excessive stress during transport resulting in physiological or pathological changes can be reduced with best management practices. The objective of this review was to analyse the available scientific literature pertaining to the transport by road of cattle, including unweaned calves.

A total of 132 animals (initial BW = 220 ± 22 kg and age = 166 ± 0.4 d) were used to study the effect of castration on eating behavior and physical activity. Animals were randomly allocated to 6 pens with 2 pens for each of the 3 treatment groups: 44 intact bulls, 44 steers castrated (3 mo of age) before the study began, and 44 bulls castrated (CAS) at 8 mo of age (at d 69 of the study). The study finished when animals reached 292 d of age. Each pen held 22 animals, and had 1 computerized concentrate feeder (GEA WestfaliaSurge, Germany), 1 feed trough for straw, and 1 water source. Concentrate and straw were offered ad libitum. Animals were weighed every 14 d and eating pattern at which animals consumed concentrate was averaged for each 14-d period. A pedometer was placed on the left hind leg of 86 animals randomly distributed among treatments to estimate physical activity from d −5 to 10 relative to surgical castration (d 65 to 79 of study). The statistical model included initial BW as a covariate, treatment, period, and the interaction between treatment and time (14-d), as fixed effects, and pen and animal as random effects. For physical activity data, day was the repeated measure. The CAS animals exhibited reduced ADG and concentrate DMI (P < 0.001) during the first 2 wk after castration than bulls or steers. Eating behavior throughout the study differed among treatments. Meal size (1.3 ± 0.05 kg) and meal duration (12.4 ± 0.47 min) were greater (P < 0.001) in bulls during the 2 wk after castration than in steers (1.0 ± 0.05 kg and 9.7 ± 0.46 min, respectively) and CAS animals (0.8 ± 0.05 kg and 7.8 ± 0.47 min, respectively). In contrast, bulls visited the feeders less frequently (5.3 ± 0.34/d) during these 2 wk than did steers (6.7 ± 0.34/d) and CAS animals (7.7 ± 0.34/d). In addition, daily intake, meal size, and eating rate increased (P < 0.001) with time. Lying time in CAS animals was reduced (P < 0.001) for the 5 d after castration compared with bulls and steers. Bulls were more active (steps/h) than steers, and activity of recently castrated animals decreased (P < 0.001) for at least 10 d after castration. Although 2 wk after castration differences in eating pattern across treatments were observed, the long-term effects of castration and gender (bull vs. steer) on eating behavior were difficult to interpret. Castration effects on total feed intake and lying time are temporary, whereas castration has a lasting reduction on physical activity. Copyright © 2012. American Society of Animal Science .