Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
4
is still thin but closer to being a healthier weight. There is some fat on the animal and the
spine is not obvious to the touch.
5
is not fat or thin. The animal is starting to flesh out around the ribs, shoulder, and tail.
6
is good. There is some fat on the back, the hips, and the brisket, which is the front area
below the neck.
7
is the best condition. The animal has fat on its back and the base of its tail. This fat can be
used as a stored reserve in winter.
8
is fat. The bone structure is no longer visible.
9
is extremely obese.
Heifers at calving should be at about 6. Heifers with more fat than this are more likely to have
reproductive difficulties or problems calving. Make sure they maintain a score around 5 or 6
after calving until it is time to breed them again. Mature cows are not growing and can calve
successfully with a score of 5.
You do not want a fat bull because this lowers fertility, especially if fat collects in the scro-
tum. You can keep him within a range of 5 to 7. Bulls have high nutrition requirements during
the breeding system. You have to watch them to make sure they do not lose weight. Bulls ex-
pend more energy than they take in while they concentrate on breeding. You can give them
nutritional or energy supplements during this period.
There is a similar scoring system for dairy cattle, with 1 being thin and 5 being obese. Dairy
cattle usually should be between 2.5 and 4. Judging a dairy cow's score under this system de-
pends more on the appearance of the flesh around the pin and hook bones and tailhead, which
are visible on the back of the cow. Hook bones are at the corner of the top of the rump, and
pin bones are at the bottom of the pelvic area, near the midway point of the tail. The tailhead
is the base of the tail. The University of Arkansas published a guide, “Body Condition Scor-
ing With Dairy Cattle,” that has pictures of cows in each condition score. (You can view it at
www.uaex.edu/other_Areas/Publications/PDF/FSA-4008.pdf
.
) Here is an overview of each
point in a typical dairy body condition scoring system:
1
is a very undernourished animal. The pin and hook bones are visible, and there is a cavity
around the tail head. You can see individual ribs.
2
is also undernourished. The ribs, pin and hook bones, and cavity around the tail head are
not as visible, but you can easily feel these bones if you touch the animal.
3
is good condition. The area around the pin and hook bones is smooth.