Effect of castration timing and oral meloxicam administration on growth performance, inflammation, behavior, and carcass quality of beef calves.

Beef bull calves (n = 62) were assigned randomly, within sire breed, to 1 of 4 treatments at birth. Treatments were 1) surgical castration near birth, 2) surgical castration near birth with oral administration of meloxicam (1 mg/kg BW), 3) surgical castration at weaning (WNG), or 4) surgical castration at weaning with oral administration of meloxicam (1 mg/kg BW; WMX). A subset of calves (n = 7/treatment group) were selected randomly near birth for blood collection, behavioral analyses, and rectal temperature (RT) records for a 7-d postcastration period on d 0 (birth), 1, 3, and 7, and on d 214 (weaning), 214 + 6 h, 215, 217, 221, and 228. Calf standing and lying activity were monitored from the same subsets by recording x- and y-axis positions of an accelerometer attached to the right metatarsus for 7 d postcastration. Calf BW was recorded throughout the entire production cycle, and carcass data were collected at slaughter. For statistical analyses, bulls left intact at birth were considered a positive control (BUL) for observations that occurred before their treatment application at weaning; likewise, bulls castrated at birth were considered a negative control (STR) during postweaning observations. No difference (P > 0.88) occurred in ADG between treatments throughout the preweaning period (d 0 to 214); however, 56-d postweaning ADG was greatest ( P= 0.02) in STR, intermediate in WMX, and least in WNG. At weaning, haptoglobin (Hp) was greater (P ≤ 0.005) for WNG and WMX compared to STR on d 214+6 h, 215, and 217, and Hp was greater (P = 0.05) in WNG compared to WMX on d 217. Neutrophils increased (P < 0.001) and red blood cells decreased (P ≤ 0.03) for WNG and WMX on d 214+6 h and 217, respectively. Postweaning behavior observations indicated that STR calves spent the least proportion of time standing (P = 0.002) when compared to WNG and WMX. Furthermore, WMX calves exhibited a greater proportion of time spent standing (P = 0.03) compared to WNG. Grazing and finishing phase ADG and carcass measurements did not differ (P ≥ 0.24) across treatments. In this study, surgical castration at weaning, but not near birth, altered the acute phase response, behavior, and growth performance. Oral meloxicam reduced serum Hp and improved ADG briefly when administered to calves castrated at weaning. Oral administration of meloxicam may be efficacious for mitigating some of the stress and inflammation associated with castration of weaning-age bull calves.