Body Condition Scoring

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Body Condition Scoring

• Oklahoma National Guard Training Program
• June 3rd, 2009

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Body Condition Score ?

• An estimate of fat and muscle

Subjective not Actual score
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Body Condition Score
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Body Condition Score
Ruminant animal or cud chewing occurs primarily
when the animal is at rest and not eating ie.
cattle, goat sheep Hands-on approach best
option
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Body Condition Scoring - Goat

• 1 Emaciated or to thin
• 2 Thin
• 3 Moderate
• 4 Fat
• 5 Obese

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Body Condition Score

• A numerical system 1-5 to determine the level of
  fatness in breeding animals
• Determined by feel in loin rump region on
  goat
• Includes
• spinous process
• vertebral angle
• vertebral process

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Body Condition Score - Goat

• BCS - 1

• Poor

Hollows in flanks Below loin are concave
Skeleton has little to no muscle
This particular goat is in bad shape and will not
be productive!!
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Body Condition Score - Goat

• BCS - 2

• Thin

Can still see some rib shape
Muscle starting to show
Goat in fair shape, productivity is questionable.
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Body Condition Score - Goat

• Fat

• BCS - 4

Firm pressure needed to feel bone structures
Too much fat can cause dystocia (birthing
problems), inability to breed, and problems
moving from place to place.
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Body Condition Score - Goat

• BCS - 5

• Obese

Hard to feel ribs and pin bones through fat.
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Body Condition Score - Sheep

• Use the same scale as the goat - 1 to 5
• Half scores are commonly used
• BCS /- 1 score 13 live weight of a ewe at a
  moderate condition score of 3 to 3.5
•  

BCS 1-1.5
BCS 3-3.5
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Body Condition Score - Sheep

• A ewe's body condition score will change
  throughout her production cycle
• The three most important times to body condition
  score ewes are prior to breeding, late gestation,
  and weaning

BCS 5
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Body Condition Score -Sheep
BCS subjective score Exact score is not as
important as the relative scores and differences
between scores
The vertical bone protrusion (spinous process)
and horizontal protrusion (transverse process) of
the loin are felt and used to access body
condition scoring
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Body Condition Score - Cows
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Body Condition Scoring System

• 1 Emaciated
• 2 Emaciated to thin
• 3 Very thin
• 4 Thin
• 5 Thin to moderate
• 6 Moderate to fleshy
• 7 Fleshy to fat
• 8 Fat
• 9 Obese

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Body Condition Score 1
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Body Condition Score 2
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Body Condition Score 3
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Body Condition Score 4
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Body Condition Score 5
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Body Condition Score 6
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Body Condition Score 7
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Body Condition Score 8
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Body Condition Score 9
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Test Time !!!
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Cow number 1
BCS 2
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Cow number 2
BCS 5
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Cow number 3
BCS 6
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Cow number 4
BCS 1
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Cow number 5
BCS 7
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Body Condition Score
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Body Condition Score
QUESTIONS