Effect of age at hemicastration on the body and testis weight of piglets

Abstract

The effect of age at hemicastration on the body and testis weights was investigated in three groups of crossbred (Landrace × Large White) piglets. Piglets were hemicastrated at 1, 2 and 4 weeks of age and were weighed at 4-week intervals until they were 28 weeks of age, when they were slaughtered. Their testes were individually weighed. Body weights of piglets hemicastrated at 1 week and 2 weeks of age increased significantly compared with controls. At 28 weeks of age mean body weight of control piglets (39.20 ± 0.56 kg) differed significantly from those hemicastrated at 1 week (48.10 ± 0.80 kg) and 2 weeks (43.60 ± 0.80 kg) of age ( P < 0.05), but not from those hemicastrated at 4 weeks of age (39.60 ± 0.65 kg) ( P > 0.05). There were significant differences between the mean testis weight of intact control piglets (90.15 ± 1.15 g) and those hemicastrated at 1 week (182.48 ± 1.28 g) ( P < 0.001), 2 weeks (158.66 ± 1.18 g) ( P < 0.01), and 4 weeks (124.42 ± 0.86 g) ( P < 0.05) of age. Gain in body weight (8.90 and 4.40 kg) and testis weight (93.33 and 68.51 g) of piglets hemicastrated at 1 and 2 weeks of age, respectively, in each case were significantly different from the controls ( P < 0.01 and P < 0.001).