Effects of Endogenous Testosterone on Production and Carcass Traits in Beef Cattle

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Thirty-nine male crossbred calves (Angus-Hereford) were divided equally into three treatment groups to determine the influence of endogenous testosterone on feedlot performance. Steers, normal bulls and short-scrotum (SS) bulls were fed to approximately 450 kilograms. At the end of the feeding period, average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency, carcass cutability, plasma testosterone and consumer acceptance were determined. Intact males (normal or SS bulls) gained weight more rapidly (P< .05) and efficiently (P< .05) than steers. Feed efficiency in this study was highly correlated with average daily gain, cold carcass weight per day of age and yield grade. Although quality grade favored the steers (P< .05), all cutability traits significantly (P< .05) favored the intact males. Warner-Bratzler shear values indicated that meat from steers was significantly (P< .05) more tender than that from intact males; however, consumer questionnaires indicated that all treatment groups fell within an acceptable tenderness range. Radioimmunoassay results showed that plasma levels of testosterone in short scrotum bulls were not significantly (P< .05) different from those of normal bulls. Copyright © 1974. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1974 by American Society of Animal Science.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: