What is castration, and what is its purpose?
Castration is the act of removing the testicles of a bull. It is also called steering, as the the animal is thenceforth called a steer. Castration is commonly performed on domestic animals not intended for breeding for the following reasons: • To reduce or prevent territorial behaviour • To reduce or prevent aggression • To reduce other consequences of sexual behaviour that may make animal husbandry more difficult, such as boundary/fence/enclosure destruction when attempting to get to nearby cows. • To increase growth and weight of the animal. • To improve the taste of the meat.
