The primary difference between surgical castration of cattle and using a Burdizzo (emasculator) is whether the wound is open or not. Both require a bit of skill to do correctly; however, the Burdizzo is more likely to fail to castrate the animal effectively than the use of surgical castration. Infection, bleeding, or fly-strike are more likely with surgical castration, especially as the animal becomes larger. Because of these advantages and disadvantages, many people prefer to surgically castrate younger calves (which can often be done in the season without flies) and to castrate older calves with the Burdizzo (especially during fly season).

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