Castration of Beef Calves

Castration is a common management practice in the beef industry. It reduces aggressive behavior and improves marbling and tenderness of the finished beef.

Early castration

  • Reduces the risk of complications such as excessive bleeding.
  • Is less stressful for calves.

Learn more on the different methods of castration and the pros and cons of various methods:

>Castration of Beef Calves: Best Practices and Considerations (UC ANR resource)

 

For a webinar format of this information Watch a UC ANR webinar on Neonatal Calf Health:

Castration and pain:

  • Surgical castration causes more acute, short-term pain.
  • Band castration causes more chronic pain while a castration band is in place.

Reducing pain from castration improves animal welfare and short-term growth performance.

In post-workshop surveys on Neonatal Calf Health organized through UC ANR, only 10% of participants indicated they would not consider giving pain control for painful procedures such as surgical castration or branding, while 72% said they were either already using pain control or were at least considering doing so in the future.

pie chart

Producer responses on whether they are considering using pain control for painful procedures in beef calves in post workshop surveys.

Methods to provide pain control during and after castration:

  • Lidoband™, provides local anesthesia for up to 42 days according to the manufacturer.
    • Our research team is conducting a study to shed light on the efficacy and economics of this new product. Updates will be added to the website once available.
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).
    • A combination of local anesthetics and NSAIDs reduces the pain and stress calves experience from the castration procedure. Banamine TransdermalTM (flunixin transdermal solution) or oral meloxicam tablets are two convenient options. Both require a prescription form a veterinarian.

Tetanus vaccination

  • Recommended before castration, especially when using the banding method.
  • Covexin™, or Cavalry™ are two options that prevent clostridial diseases including tetanus and blackleg.
    • Double check that the vaccine product includes Clostridium tetani as not all Clostridial vaccines do.
  • The first dose should be administered before castration, with a booster given during the procedure.

 

Additional Resources

Video on various castration methods from Kansas State University:

Article “Don’t Forget Tetanus Prevention when Banding Bulls!”*

Webinar on the using local anesthetic or NSAIDs for pain control, and different methods of castration** Note: this video was made in Canada and not all drugs may be available in the U.S.

* from Ohio State University

** from the Beef Cattle Research Council.