Better understanding of the relationships between body condition scores and rebreeding efficiency of beef cattle has added a powerful management tool to the cattleman's arsenal. Condition scoring permits the cattleman to evaluate his nutritional program every time he drives through the herd. By evaluating cow condition at strategic times of the year, it is possible to coordinate use of the forage resource with nutritional needs of the cow herd so that supplemental feed and hay needs are reduced to a minimum.
Condition Scores
Body condition scores (BCS) are numbers used to suggest the relative
fatness or body composition of the cow. For BCS to be most helpful,
producers need to calibrate the system under their own conditions with
their own cattle. A 9-grade system is commonly used by researchers
in the United States When using the BCS, producers should keep
the program simple. A thin cow looks very sharp, angular and skinny,
while a fat cow looks smooth and boxy with bone structure hidden from sight
or feel. The key areas to examine the beef cow for body condition
score are illustrated on this figure. Specifically look to see how
many ribs (from the last half of the rib cage) are evident to visual appraisal.
If more than 2 ribs are easily discernible, then expect the cow to score
lower than 5. Also look closely at the spinous processes (vertebrae
along the edge of the loin in front of the hook bones). If the outline
of the vertebrae are visually apparent, expect the cow to receive a body
condition score of 4 or lower.
Cattle described by the nine condition scores would appear as follows:
SCORE 1. The cow is severely emaciated and physically weak with all ribs and bone structure easily visible. Cattle in this score are extremely rare and are usually inflicted with a disease and/or parasitism.
SCORE 2. The cow appears emaciated, similar to 1 above but not weakened. Muscle tissue seems severely depleted through the hindquarters and shoulder.
SCORE 3. The cow is very thin with no fat on ribs or in brisket and the backbone is easily visible. Some muscle depletion appears evident through the hindquarters.
SCORE 4. The cow appears thin, with ribs easily visible
and the backbone showing. The spinous processes (along the edge of
the loin) are still very sharp and barely visible individually. Muscle
tissue is not depleted through the shoulders and hindquarters.
BCS = 4
SCORE 5. The cow may be described as moderate to thin. The
last two ribs can be seen and little evidence of fat is present in the
brisket, over the ribs or around the tail head. The spinous processes are
now smooth and no longer individually identifiable.
BCS=5
SCORE 6. The cow exhibits a good smooth appearance throughout.
Some fat deposition is present in the brisket and over the tail head. The
back appears rounded and fat can be palpated over the ribs and pin bones.
BCS=6
SCORE 7. The cow appears in very good flesh. The brisket is full, the tail head shows pockets of fat and the back appears square due to fat. The ribs are very smooth and soft handling due to fat cover.
SCORE 8. The cow is obese. Her neck is thick and short and her back appears very square due to excessive fat. The brisket is distended and she has heavy fat pockets around the tail head.
SCORE 9. These cows are very obese and are rarely seen.
They can be described as similar to 8's but taken to greater extremes.
They also have a heavy deposition of udder fat.
There is controversy about whether one needs to feel the cattle to determine fatness (Figure 1) or simply look at them to assess condition scores. A recent study indicated that cattle could be separated equally well by palpation of fat cover or by visual appraisal, but the set point or average score may vary slightly depending on the method used. For cattle with long hair, handling is of value, but when hair is short, handling appears to not be necessary. Keep in mind that shrink can alter the looks and feel of the cattle as much as one score. Animals in late pregnancy also tend to look fuller and a bit fatter.