Abstract
Rate of gain, carcass measurements and sexual development of 19 males, partially castrated by Baiburtcjan’s method, were compared with those of 39 littermates castrated by the conventional method. The partial castrates reached slaughter weight of about 89 kg at 130 days of age and the complete castrates at 132 days of age. There was no significant difference between the two castration methods with respect to age-at-slaughter, dressing percentage, ham weight, loin-eye area, average backfat thickness and carcass length. The regenerated testes of the partial castrates averaged 34.5 g. Histological examination of these testes revealed that the fraction of the testis volume occupied by intertubular space was about twice that found in normal mature testes. All testes contained all stages of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium, indicating that sperm were being produced. This observation was substantiated by the presence of sperm in 28 of the 35 epididymides examined. In addition to tubules with normal germ cell populations, there were many tubules that lacked one or more generations of germ cells, or that lacked germ cells entirely. Accessory sex gland development was directly proportional to the weight of the paired testes. Forty-seven percent of the partial castrates were graded as ridglings (cryptorchids) and their average sale value was 19% less than that of the complete castrates.
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