Effects of partial castration on growth and the incidence of boar taint in the pig

Abstract Six sets of four Landrace × Large White littermate male pigs were castrated under surgical 'control at 3 weeks of age either by removal of the testicular parenchyma only, by removal of the testes retaining the epididymides or by complete castration; or they were left intact. The pigs were raised under the same conditions and slaughtered at 100 kg liveweight. Measurements of growth rate, feed conversion, carcass composition, weights and histology of genitalia, quality of meat, and objective and subjective estimations of sex odours in the fat and salivary glands agreed in demonstrating that male characteristics were absent from all treated animals; both partial castrations were equivalent to complete castration. It is concluded that the site of format ion of the sex odours androstenone and androstenol or of their precursor(s) is coincident with that of the male hormones in the testicular parenchyma.