What is the difference between steer and bull?
Steer and bull are both male animals that have distinctive uses on the farm. A farmer may have the two on his farm but it is difficult for people from outside to tell the difference between the steer and the bull. The two are normally regarded as bulls which are not true.
The main difference between steer and bull is that steer is a mature male animal that has been castrated while the bull is a mature male animal that has been kept for the purpose of reproduction on the farm.
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Comparison Table (Steer vs Bull)
| Characteristics | Steer | Bull |
| Meaning | Refers to a mature male animal that has been castrated. | Refers to a mature male animal that has been kept for the purpose of reproduction. |
| Reproductive characteristics | It is castrated at a young age and therefore not able to reproduce. | It is capable of mating and reproducing as its testicles are intact. |
| Appearance | Their bodies do not develop into muscular ones. | They grow into muscular crest and body. |
| Behavior | They are less likely to charge at humans and other steers. | They are more aggressive and are likely to charge at humans and another herd. |
| Meat production | They have less meat content. | They have more meat content. |
| Purpose | They are kept for the purpose of meat production. | They are kept for the purpose of reproduction. |
What is Steer?
Steer is a mature male animal that has been castrated; its testicles have been surgically removed. It is done at a young age, therefore the animals grow up not showing the signs of maturing to start mounting the females.
They are more docile and this makes them easier to handle. They are not aggressive hence they cannot charge at humans and another herd.
Steers are kept for meat production. They also do other manual work on the farm such as digging as their energy is not used anywhere else.
Their bodies do not develop into muscular ones. Their bodies resemble that lone of a cow except for the presence of a penis. They are also less hairy in the middle in the middle of their underbelly that covers the sheath that houses the penis.
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What is a Bull?
The bull is a mature male animal that has been kept on the farm for the purpose of reproduction. The bull normally has its testicles intact.
They are much more muscular than cows, with thick bones, large feet, muscular neck, and large bony head. This makes them fight in the herd in order to dominate.
Their hair is shorter but thick at the neck. They have humps on their shoulders. The presence of horns on a bull depends on the breed.
They are very aggressive and they are likely to charge at humans and other animals in the herd. This results from their body size which makes them very energetic.
As they have muscular bodies, they have more meat content. They are ready to be slaughtered after it has matured at around seven months. It has meat that is leaner.
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Main Differences between Steer and Bull
- Steers are mature male animals that have been castrated while bulls are mature males that have been kept for the purpose of reproduction.
- Steers are castrated at young age hence not able to reproduce while bulls have their testicles intact hence, they mate and reproduce.
- Steers are kept for the purpose of meat production while bulls are kept for the purpose of reproduction.
- Steers do not have muscular bodies while bulls have muscular bodies.
- Steers have less meat content while bulls have high meat content.
- Steers are less aggressive while bulls are more aggressive.
Similarities between Steer and Bull
- They are both male animals.
- They both produce meat.
- They have similar body structures.
- They are both herbivores.
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In Conclusion
Steers and bulls are both mature male animals. They both feed on pasture. They are different as they are kept for different purposes on the farm. Steers are kept for the purpose of meat production while bulls are kept for the purpose of reproduction.
The main difference between steers and bulls is the presence of testicles in the bulls.
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