Castration facts for kids
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testes or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.
In veterinary practice
Castration is commonly performed on domestic animals not intended for breeding. This helps avoid unwanted or uncontrolled reproduction and reduce or prevent territorial behaviour or aggression.
Male cattle are castrated to improve docility for use as oxen.
A specialized vocabulary has arisen for neutered animals of given species:
- Barrow (pig)
- Capon (chicken)
- Dinmont (sheep, goat)
- Gelding (horse)
- Gib (cat, ferret)
- Havier (deer)
- Lapin (rabbit)
- Steer (cattle)
- Wether (sheep, goat)
Images for kids
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Chief Eunuch of Abdul Hamid II (1912)
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Rubber rings and pliers used in elastration
See also
In Spanish: Castración para niños
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Castration Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.