We estimate a hedonic pricing model to determine producers’ value for bull expected progeny differences (EPDs), genomic-enhanced EPDs, and phenotypic traits. Birth weight EPD, ribeye area EPD, sale weight, age, frame score, and other factors had a statistically significant impact on bull prices. GE-EPDs were not associated with a change in the bull sales prices expect for weaned calf value and birth weight EPDs. Including weaned calf value and GE-EPDs in a bull hedonic pricing model provides a unique contribution. The results from this work will inform educational programming for bull purchasers on using new economic selection indices and GE-EPDs.

This study examined the influences of coated folic acid (CFA) and coated riboflavin (CRF) on bull performance, nutrients digestion and ruminal fermentation. Forty-eight Angus bulls based on a randomised block and 2 × 2 factorial design were assigned to four treatments. The CFA of 0 or 6 mg of folic acid/kg DM was supplemented in diets with CRF 0 or 60 mg riboflavin (RF)/kg DM. Supplementation of CRF in diets with CFA had greater increase in daily weight gain and feed efficiency than in diets without CFA. Supplementation with CFA or CRF enhanced digestibility of DM, organic matter, crude protein, neutral-detergent fibre and non-fibre carbohydrate. Ruminal pH and ammonia N content decreased and total volatile fatty acids concentration and acetate to propionate ratio elevated for CFA or CRF addition. Supplement of CFA or CRF increased the activities of fibrolytic enzymes and the numbers of total bacteria, protozoa, fungi, dominant fibrolytic bacteria and Prevotella ruminicola. The activities of α-amylase, protease and pectinase and the numbers of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens and Ruminobacter amylophilus were increased by CFA but were unaffected by CRF. Blood concentration of folate elevated and homocysteine decreased for CFA addition. The CRF supplementation elevated blood concentrations of folate and RF. These findings suggested that CFA or CRF inclusion had facilitating effects on performance and ruminal fermentation, and combined addition of CFA and CRF had greater increase in performance than CFA or CRF addition alone in bulls.

To evaluate the impacts of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) and coated folic acid (CFA) on growth performance, nutrient digestion and hepatic gene expression, fifty-two Angus bulls were assigned to four groups in a 2 × 2 factor experimental design. The CFA of 0 or 6 mg/kg dietary DM folic acid was supplemented in diets with GAA of 0 (GAA−) or 0·6 g/kg DM (GAA+), respectively. Average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency and hepatic creatine concentration increased with GAA or CFA addition, and the increased magnitude of these parameters was greater for addition of CFA in GAA− diets than in GAA+ diets. Blood creatine concentration increased with GAA or CFA addition, and greater increase was observed when CFA was supplemented in GAA+ diets than in GAA− diets. DM intake was unchanged, but rumen total SCFA concentration and digestibilities of DM, crude protein, neutral-detergent fibre and acid-detergent fibre increased with the addition of GAA or CFA. Acetate:propionate ratio was unaffected by GAA, but increased for CFA addition. Increase in blood concentrations of albumin, total protein and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) was observed for GAA or CFA addition. Blood folate concentration was decreased by GAA, but increased with CFA addition. Hepatic expressions of IGF-1, phosphoinositide 3-kinase, protein kinase B, mammalian target of rapamycin and ribosomal protein S6 kinase increased with GAA or CFA addition. Results indicated that the combined supplementation of GAA and CFA could not cause ADG increase more when compared with GAA or CFA addition alone.

This study evaluated the effects of rumen-protected folic acid (RPFA) and betaine (BT) on growth performance, nutrient digestion and blood metabolites in bulls. Forty-eight Angus bulls were blocked by body weight and randomly assigned to four treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial design. BT of 0 or 0·6 g/kg DM was supplemented to diet without or with the addition of 6 mg/kg DM of folic acid from RPFA, respectively. Average daily gain increased by 25·2 and 6·29 % for addition of BT without RPFA and with RPFA, respectively. Digestibility and ruminal total volatile fatty acids of neutral-detergent fibre and acid-detergent fibre increased, feed conversion ratio and blood folate decreased with the addition of BT without RPFA, but these parameters were unchanged with BT addition in diet with RPFA. Digestibility of DM, organic matter and crude protein as well as acetate:propionate ratio increased with RPFA or BT addition. Ruminal ammonia-N decreased with RPFA addition. Activity of carboxymethyl cellulase, cellobiase, xylanase, pectinase and protease as well as population of total bacteria, protozoa, Fibrobacter succinogenes and Ruminobacter amylophilus increased with RPFA or BT addition. Laccase activity and total fungi, Ruminococcus flavefaciens and Prevotella ruminicola population increased with RPFA addition, whereas Ruminococcus albus population increased with BT addition. Blood glucose, total protein, albumin, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 increased with RPFA addition. Addition of RPFA or BT decreased blood homocysteine. The results indicated that addition of BT stimulated growth and nutrient digestion in bulls only when RPFA was not supplemented.

We estimate the values of bull phenotypic traits, performance measurements, and expected progeny differences (EPDs) over time using bull sale data from an auction in Tennessee from 2006 to 2016. Moreover, we determine how a state partial-cost reimbursement program for bulls with certain EPDs affects bull sale price. Purebred seed stock producers in this region should focus on selling large, fast-growing, mature bulls that produce lighter calves for reduced calving stress. The state cost-share payment did not significantly increase bull prices in most years, meaning this payment was retained by cow-calf producers in most years.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of using different floor types to accommodate growing and finishing beef cattle on lameness. In all, 80 dairy origin bulls were blocked according to live weight and breed into 20 groups, and randomly allocated within groups to one of four treatments. The floor types studied were fully slatted flooring throughout the entire experimental period (CS); fully slatted flooring covered with rubber strips throughout the entire experimental period (RS); fully slatted flooring during the growing period and then moved to a solid floor covered with straw bedding during the finishing period (CS-S) and fully slatted flooring during the growing period and then moved to fully slatted flooring covered with rubber strips during the finishing period (CS-RS). The total duration of the study was 204 days. The first 101 days was defined as the growing period, with the remainder of the study defined as the finishing period. During the growing period, there was a tendency for bulls accommodated on CS to have a higher locomotion score compared with those accommodated on RS (P=0.059). However, floor type had no significant effect on locomotion score during the finishing period. There was also no significant effect of floor type on digital dermatitis during both the growing or finishing period. Floor type had no significant effect on swelling at the leg joints at the end of the finishing period. Bulls accommodated on RS had the least probability of bruised soles during both the growing and finishing period (P<0.01). Growing bulls accommodated on CS had significantly greater front heel height net growth compared with those accommodated on RS (P<0.05). However, bulls accommodated on RS had a tendency to have greater front toe net growth compared with those accommodated on CS (P=0.087). Finishing bulls accommodated on CS-RS had the greatest front toe net growth (P<0.001). Heel height net growth was greatest in bulls accommodated on CS-S (P<0.001). Floor type had no significant effect on mean maximum hoof temperature during the growing period. Finishing bulls accommodated on CS-S had a significantly lower mean maximum hoof temperature compared with those accommodated on any other floor type (P<0.001). The study concluded that rubber flooring is a suitable alternative to fully slatted flooring, reducing the prevalence of bruised soles. Despite greater toe net growth in bulls accommodated on rubber flooring, there was no effect of floor type on locomotion score, suggesting that increased toe net growth does not adversely affect walking ability. In addition, although mean maximum hoof temperature was lowest in bulls accommodated on straw bedding, there was no evidence to suggest this is indicative of improved hoof health.

This experiment aimed to assess the effect of different indoor winter growth rates (WGR) followed by different concentrate supplementation levels at pasture on meat quality of 90 bulls. During the first winter, bulls were offered grass silage ad libitum and either 3 kg (WGR3) or 6 kg (WGR6) of concentrates. After turn-out to pasture, bulls were offered: grass without supplementation (PO), grass plus 0.2 predicted dry matter intake (DMI) as concentrates (PL) or grass plus 0.4 predicted DMI as concentrates (PH). After finishing, colour, chemical composition (unaged), instrumental texture and sensory characteristics (14 days of ageing) of longissimus thoracis were measured. WGR6 bulls had heavier carcasses than WGR3 bulls. There was an interaction between WGR and supplementation for instrumental texture and redness (a). Within WGR3, PO beef was the most tender, whereas within WRG6, PL was the most tender. However, these differences were not detected by the sensory panel. Within WGR3, redness was the lowest for PL, whereas within WRG6, PO was the least red. No differences were found for chemical composition. The multivariate analysis highlighted WGR as the main variable affecting meat quality characteristics. In conclusion, variations in growth path exerted minor effects on appearance and instrumental texture which did not affect the perception of bull beef by a trained sensory panel.

The traditional beef production in the South of Portugal is based on a discontinuous growth (DG) system that requires lower external inputs and could enhance meat quality and financial returns to cattle producers. This system allows farmers to take advantage of the bull’s compensatory growth when the pasture is abundant and finishes the cattle on concentrates for 2 to 3 months before slaughter. The fast gain rate before slaughter could be a valuable strategy to improve tenderness and to reduce its inconsistency in beef production. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of production system (continuous growth (CG) v. DG) on longissimus thoracis muscle properties from Alentejana bulls. In total, 40 Alentejana male calves were allocated to two distinct feeding regimes: in the CG system, animals were fed concentrate plus hay and slaughtered at 18 months of age, whereas in the DG system, animals were fed on hay until 15 months of age and then fed the same diet provided to the CG group until 24 months of age. The DG system had a positive impact on meat tenderness (P<0.001) and global acceptability (P<0.001). DG bulls had greater fibre cross-sectional area (CSA) of glycolytic fibres (P<0.05) and relative area of the muscle (RA) occupied by type IIX fibres (P<0.01) and greater levels of α-actinin (P<0.05) and myosin light chain 2 (P<0.01) proteins, and pH24h (P<0.01) than CG bulls. The latter had greater CSA of type I (P<0.05) and type IIA (P<0.01) and greater RA of type IIA (P<0.05) and oxidative (P<0.05) than CG bulls. The compensatory growth production system had a positive impact on meat tenderness and global acceptability, overcoming the negative effects of slaughter of the bulls at a later age. The DG beef system could be a worthwhile strategy of beef production in Mediterranean areas due to the low-quality pasture in summer.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the carcass and meat characteristics of eight muscles from bulls with distinct growth paths. A total of 40 Alentejana male calves were allocated to two distinct feeding regimes. In the continuous growth (CG) system, the animals were fed concentrates plus hay and were slaughtered at 18 months of age. On the other hand, in the discontinuous growth (DG) system, the animals were fed hay until 15 months of age; the cattle were then fed the same diet provided to the CG group from 15 to 24 months of age. The DG reduced hot carcass weight, fatness and dressing %, but the proportions of fat, bone and muscle tissues in the leg were not affected. In contrast, there was a positive impact of compensatory growth on supraspinatus, triceps brachii, semitendinosus, biceps femoris muscle tenderness, overcoming the negative effects of age at slaughter. The reasons for such improvement in meat tenderness were not related to intra-muscular fat content or myofibrillar protein degradation values. An association between tenderness and muscle collagen properties was not established. The results indicate that the compensatory growth has a muscle-dependent effect.

Animal sacrifice was a central component of ancient Roman religion, but scholars have tended to focus on the symbolic aspects of these rituals, while glossing over the practical challenges involved in killing large, potentially unruly creatures, such as bulls. The traditional explanation is that the animal was struck on the head with a hammer or an axe to stun it, then had its throat cut. Precisely how axes, hammers, and knives were employed remains unexplained. This article draws upon ancient sculpture, comparative historical sources, and animal physiology to argue that the standard interpretation is incomplete, and, in its place, offers a detailed analysis of exactly how the killing and bleeding of bovines was accomplished and the distinct purposes of hammers and axes within these rituals.

The efficiency of in vitro embryo production is highly variable amongst individual sires in cattle. To eliminate that this variability is not caused by sperm chromatin damage caused by separation or capacitacion, chromatin integrity was evaluated. Seventeen of AI bulls with good NRRs but variable embryo production efficiency were used. For each bull, motile spermatozoa were separated on a Percoll gradient, resuspended in IVF–TALP medium and capacitated with or incubated without heparin for 6 h. Samples before and after separation and after 3-h and 6-h capacitacion or incubation were evaluated by the Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay (SCSA) and the proportion of sperm with intact chromatin structure was calculated. Based on changes in the non-DFI-sperm proportion, the sires were categorized as DNA-unstable (DNA-us), DNA-stable (DNA-s) and DNA-most stable (DNA-ms) bulls (n = 3, n = 5 and n = 9, respectively). In DNA-us bulls, separation produced a significant increase of the mean non-DFI-sperm proportion (p ≤ 0.01), as compared with the value before separation. Capacitacion produced a significant decrease in the mean non-DFI-sperm proportion in H+ sperm (p ≤ 0.01). In DNA-s bulls, separation significantly increased the mean non-DFI-sperm proportion (p ≤ 0.01) but during capacitacion, the mean non-DFI-sperm proportion remained almost unchanged. In DNA-ms bulls, neither separation nor capacitacion had any effect on the mean non-DFI-sperm proportion. It can be concluded that, although separation and capacitacion may produce some changes in sperm chromatin integrity, these are not associated with different in vitro fertility of the bulls involved.

There is a paucity of data on the beef production potential of Norwegian Red (NOR) compared with ‘modern’ Holstein-Friesian (HF) cattle. The present study used a total of 64 bulls in a 2 × 2 factorial design study encompassing two breeds (HF and NOR) and two slaughter ages (485; E, and 610; L, days). The mean initial age and live weight of the HF bulls were 179 (s.d. 47.1) days and 203 (s.d. 64.0) kg, while the corresponding data for the NOR bulls were 176 (s.d. 39.7) days and 185 (s.d. 63.6) kg, respectively. Bulls were offered a 50 : 50 mixture (dry matter (DM) basis) of grass silage and concentrates. No breed × slaughter group interactions were recorded for any parameters evaluated (P > 0.05). HF bulls had higher (P < 0.001) DM intake and poorer (P < 0.01) efficiency of conversion of food to carcass gain than NOR bulls. HF bulls tended (P = 0.07) to have a higher rate of live-weight gain and were heavier (P < 0.001) at slaughter than NOR bulls, though both carcass weight and rate of carcass gain did not differ between the breeds (P > 0.05). NOR bulls had higher (P < 0.001) dressing proportion and carcass conformation score than HF bulls, while breed of bull had no influence (P > 0.05) on carcass fat classification, depth of subcutaneous fat, marbling score or on the weight of fat in the internal depots. Daily food intakes did not differ (P > 0.05) across the two slaughter age groups, though efficiency of conversion of food to carcass gain was poorer (P < 0.05) in the L compared with E bulls. Rate of live-weight gain was lower (P < 0.01) for L bulls, although rate of carcass gain did not differ (P > 0.05) between the E and L bulls. Increasing age at slaughter increased (P < 0.01 or greater) dressing proportion, carcass fat class, depth of subcutaneous fat, marbling score and internal fat depots, but had no effect (P > 0.05) on the carcass conformation score. Instrumental measures of meat quality indicated that meat from NOR bulls was tougher (P < 0.01) than meat from HF bulls, while delaying slaughter increased (P < 0.001) a* and C*ab, and decreased (P < 0.01) h0, indicating improved redness. It is concluded that NOR bulls have higher food efficiency and produce more highly conformed carcasses than HF bulls, but HF bulls produce more tender meat.

The objective was to reduce the incidence of liver abscesses (LAs) in young bulls by reducing the starch content of the concentrate and increasing the straw intake by adding molasses without reducing performance. Eighty-five Danish Friesian bulls (146 ± 2.6 kg live weight (LW)) were allocated to four treatment groups in a 2 × 2 factorial design and were ad libitum fed either a high (H) (43%) or a low (L) (25%) starch concentrate, and either chopped barley straw (S) or a mixture (Sm) of chopped barley straw and sugar-beet molasses (75:25). The bulls were slaughtered at 440 (±4.2) kg LW (11.3 months of age) on average. The concentrate dry-matter intake (DMI) was 7.5% higher (P < 0.001), the roughage DMI was 12% higher (P < 0.01), whereas the total net energy intake was 7% lower (P < 0.001) for the L compared with the H concentrate. By adding molasses to the straw, roughage DMI increased from 0.50 to 0.96 kg/day (P < 0.001). Average daily gain (ADG) was not affected by treatment. Feed conversion efficiency (FCE) for dry matter (FCEDM) was decreased (P < 0.001), whereas FCE for net energy (FCENE) was increased with the L concentrate (P < 0.01), suggesting a lower utilisation of the cell wall fraction with the H starch concentrate. There were no major effects of treatment on carcass characteristics. The higher roughage intake with Sm prevented rumen wall damage, but did not reduce the number of animals with LAs. The L concentrate did not affect the rumen wall but reduced the level of LA (2 v. 9 animals, P < 0.02). There was a higher level of respiratory diseases in animals fed the H concentrate (P < 0.05). The experiment showed that it was possible to maintain performance and reduce LA by using a lower starch content of the concentrate.

A total of 180 Holstein-Friesian male calves, mean age and live weight (LW) at start of the study 112 (s.d. 26·0) days and 134 (s.d. 37·6) kg, respectively, were used to evaluate the effect of slaughter weight on food efficiency and animal performance. Animals were offered concentrates ad libitum and a restricted quantity of straw and slaughtered at one of six LWs as bulls: 300, 350, 400, 450, 500 or 550 kg. A further group of cattle were slaughtered as steers at 450 kg LW. Mean age at slaughter was 247 and 434 days for bulls slaughtered at 300 and 550 kg LW respectively. Neither rate of LW or carcass gain was influenced by weight at slaughter ( P>0·05), with mean values of 1·31 and 0·70 kg/day, respectively. Food conversion ratio, killing-out proportion, carcass conformation, fat classification and weight of internal fat depots increased ( P<0·001) as slaughter weight of the bulls increased. In the comparison of steers and bulls slaughtered at 450 kg, steers had lower ( P<0·001) rates of LW and carcass gains and had a higher ( P<0·001) food conversion ratio than comparable bulls. Steers had lower ( P<0·001) estimated carcass lean, and higher ( P<0·01) estimated carcass fat concentrations than bulls slaughtered at the same LW.

The aim of the work was to study a potential relationship between acrosome response characteristics of bovine spermatozoa and their ability to fertilize oocytes and produce in vitro embryos. Sperm of artificial insemination bulls with a high rate (22.0 ± 4.1%, group A, n = 7) or a low rate (10.3 ± 4.1%, group B, n = 8) of embryos were used. For acrosome assessment, motile spermatozoa from a Percoll gradient were incubated with or without heparin and examined by the fix-vital sperm assay (FVSA). The differences between the heparin-treated (H+) and the non-treated (H−) spermatozoa were significant (p < 0.01) in all bulls at all tested intervals. According to the kinetics of the heparin response, the bulls fell into three categories: fast (FR, n = 7), moderate (MR, n = 5) or slow (SR, n = 3) acrosome responses (p < 0.01). Five MR bulls were found in group A in comparison with two MR bulls in group B (57.1 vs 12.5%; p < 0.05). Intensity of the acrosome response (response index) was significantly higher in bull group A compared with bull group B (7.0 vs 4.6, p < 0.01). A positive correlation was recorded between response index and embryo rate (r = 0.668, p < 0.01). In conclusion (a) the kinetics of spermatozoa response to heparin may be important for in vitro fertilization, bulls with a moderate response appearing to be most suitable for embryo production; (b) greater spermatozoa response to heparin was related to more effective embryo production.

The famous stelae from the Tartessos region of southern Iberia are compared with new discoveries from the Levant. Similarities of theme and iconography endorse the Phoenician connection, but show it to be more a cultural dialogue between east and west than an imposition by colonists.

Thirty-six young fattening bulls from three breeds (Belgian Blue, Limousin and Aberdeen Angus) were fattened over 5 months with fattening diets based either on sugar-beet pulp or on cereals. Fattening performance as well as carcass and meat characteristics were measured. There were few relevant effects of the diets on the parameters. The breeds also showed similar fattening features. However, the BB had higher killing-out proportion and their carcasses presented better scores in terms of conformation and fattening. The meat quality of the breeds differed, especially in terms of luminosity, redness and cooking losses. There were also significant influences of breed on the chemical composition of meat; fat content was lowest in Belgian Blue and highest in Aberdeen Angus. Such specificities could help to allocate breeds in appropriate niches in Belgium.

A bull beef finishing experiment was conducted with the objective of comparing physical performance of constrasting genotypes of suckler-bred bull beef animals finished intensively on a cereal-based diet at approximately 12 to 13 months of age. Nine bulls per genotype were drawn from weaned, bull calves born to one of two dam types (Belgian Blue×Holstein/Friesian (BB) or Simmental×Holstein/Friesian (SIM)) and which had been sired by one of two contrasting sire types (Aberdeen Angus (AA) or Charolais (CH)). Bull calves were weaned at approximately 8 months of age and the finishing experiment ran from approximately 9 months of age until slaughter at 12 to 13 months of age. Cereal-based concentrate diets were offered to all bulls on an ad libitum basis throughout the experimental finishing period. Dry matter intake (DMI), live-weight gain (LWG), food conversion ratio (FCR), and carcass slaughter characteristics were quantified.

Average daily LWG was 2·07, 2·11, 2·34 and 2·65 kg/day, average FCR was 5·14, 5·06, 4·70 and 4·12 kg DMI per kg LWG and average age at slaughter was 387, 381, 374 and 366 days for the AA/BB, AA/SIM, CH/BB and CH/SIM bulls respectively. These figures showed that CH sired bulls grew faster ( P<0·001), finished at an earlier age ( P<0·01) and had better food conversion ratios ( P<0·01) than AA sired bulls. CH sired bulls also produced heavier carcasses (P<0·001) with better conformation ( P<0·001) than AA sired bulls. Average cold carcass weights (CCW) at slaughter were 309, 318, 348 and 365 kg and average conformation scores (15-point scale) at slaughter were 9·28, 10·28, 12·39 and 12·75 for the AA/BB, AA/SIM, CH/BB and CH/SIM bulls respectively. Finished bulls from SIM dams had higher LWGs (P<0·01) and produced heavier carcasses (P<0·05) than bulls from BB dams. No statistically significant differences in fat score (15-point scale) were seen between any of the breed combinations with fat scores of 7·50, 7·25, 6·75 and 6·75 for the AA/BB, AA/SIM, CH/BB and CH/SIM bulls respectively. No significant differences in average daily food intake were observed between breed combinations in the experiment with average daily DMI being 10·6, 10·6, 11·0 and 10·9 kg/day for AA/BB, AA/SIM, CH/BB and CH/SIM bulls respectively.

Overall, there was little evidence to suggest that the rate of bull LWG declined to bring about any meaningful reduction in productivity as average bull live weight increased from approximately 9 months of age until slaughter at 12 to 13 months of age. When finished on a nutrient-rich, cereal-based concentrate diet, excellent animal performance and commercially acceptable carcasses can be produced from the UK suckler herd using genetically superior sires of either traditional UK or continental beef cattle breeds. Results from this study indicate that CH sired bulls out-performed AA sired bulls, especially when produced from SIM cows.

Finishing bulls need increasingly large cubicles throughout their growth, and optimal cubicle dimensions may differ from those used for dairy cows. The space requirements of finishing bulls was investigated by observing standing-up and lying-down behaviour, lying duration and number of lying bouts, as well as the cleanliness of cubicles and animals before and after increasing cubicle size at four different points in time. Lying area in the cubicles measured 120 × 70 cm at the start and 185 × 110 cm at the end of the finishing period (approx. at 160 and 550 kg, respectively). Twenty animals kept in four groups were observed at weights of approximately 220, 330, 380 and 500 kg before and after cubicle dimensions were increased. The proportion of standing-up events with more than one head lunge decreased with enlargement of the cubicles (P = 0·01). As cubicle size increased, bulls hit the partition rails less on standing up, except at 220 kg weight where the pattern was inverted (interaction: P = 0·001). Partitions were also hit less on lying down as cubicle size increased, except at 220 kg weight with an inverse pattern (interaction: P = 0·01). The number of exploratory head sweeps before lying down did not change with cubicle enlargement (P > 0·5). Bulls slipped more often with cubicle enlargement, except at 380 kg where the difference was inverted (interaction: P = 0·03). They never fell and never turned around in the cubicles. In general, both animals and cubicles were very clean. On average, lying duration decreased (P < 0·01) while the number of lying bouts tended to increase (P = 0·052) with enlargement of the cubicles but the absolute differences were small. Consequently at each point in time, the smaller cubicles still seemed to provide sufficient lying space for the bulls. If the impacts with the partitions were minor and did not represent a serious welfare concern, as suggested by qualitative observations, the cubicle dimensions used could be considered suitable for housing the type of finishing bulls used in this study.