Optimum body condition = maximum production
The productivity of beef cattle depends largely on the amount of fat they carry. A herd of cattle maintained in the right condition with an ideal layer of fat cover will breed back more efficiently and wean heavier calves than a herd of thin or over-fat cattle.
What is body condition scoring?
Body condition scoring (BCS) is a low cost, hands-on method to determine the condition (amount of fat cover) cattle have. This easy hands-on method is much more accurate than just looking at animals.
Looks can be deceiving, even to the trained and experienced eye. The shadows that help you see the body’s dips and hollows are harder to see on black cattle. The accuracy of visual evaluation also varies with the season. Prominent rib, hook and pin bones can be masked by long winter hair coats. Thin cattle with round bellies full of straw can be mistaken as being in ideal condition when, in fact, they need improvement.
Research from the University of Guelph1 reported that even trained visual evaluators had a hard time accurately predicting the body condition score of cattle in winter. The correlation between visual scores and ultrasonic backfat measurements was low (r2 = 0.14) in January to March. Cows in later stages of pregnancy may also appear to have more fat cover. A hands-on evaluation of the body condition score will give you a much better sense of cattle fat stores.
In Canada, body condition is scored from 1-5, with 1 being extremely thin and 5 being obese. A score of 3.0 is ideal.
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