Body Condition Scoring is Important for Dairy Cattle, Too

You’ve probably heard it before: cows that are too fat or too thin will cause you problems. Body condition scoring can be used to subjectively assess the amount of external fat that an animal carries. In short, it is a tool that can be used on-farm to help determine if there are nutritional or management issues that may need to be addressed. Ensuring proper body condition throughout lactation will help cows remain productive and healthy members of the herd.

Why should body condition be evaluated?

Body condition is an indirect measure of the energy balance and nutritional status of the cow. Management of body condition in dairy cattle is of utmost importance because milk production places a substantial nutritional demand on the body. This is especially apparent during the transition from the dry period to lactation, which takes place during the 3 weeks before and 3 weeks after calving. During this time, cows undergo a tremendous physiological adaptation in order to support milk production. In fact, between 4 days pre-calving and 11 days post-calving, the average dairy cow’s energy demands increase by nearly 140% while feed intake only increases by 30-50% during this timeframe. Because of this discrepancy, it is expected that cows will utilize some fat stores to support milk production during early lactation. This is a normal part of mammalian physiology. However, having too much or too little fat stores can be problematic, which is where management of body condition throughout lactation comes into play.

“...cows who gain condition throughout the dry period are more likely to experience reduced feed intake and encounter metabolic disorders after calving.“

Cows with inappropriate body condition around the time of calving are more likely to have health issues that can negatively affect performance during the entire lactation. Cows that are too fat are more likely to experience metabolic issues, such as ketosis or fatty liver, due to excessive fat tissue utilization after calving. These cows are also more likely to experience calving difficulty as well as reduced fertility. Cows that are too thin around calving are more likely to experience lameness and fertility issues. These cows may also have reduced peak milk production due to their limited fat stores, which are an important source of energy required to support the increased energy demands of early lactation. The bottom line is that cows who are over conditioned, or conversely, under conditioned, are more likely to be less productive and are expensive to manage.

How is body condition scored?

Body condition scoring is a subjective measurement, which means its assessment will vary somewhat from one person to another. Because of this, it is recommended that the same individual(s) evaluate the body condition at each assessment. For dairy cattle, body condition scoring is a 1 to 5 scale but conducted with .25 increments within a score. A score of 1 is emaciated and a score of 5 is obese.

When body condition scoring dairy cattle, the major areas examined include the pelvis and loin, which includes the hooks, pins, thurl, short ribs, tailhead ligament, and sacral ligament. The tailhead ligament is located between the tailhead and the pins. The sacral ligament is located between the hooks and the spine.

The first step is to assess the fat cover around the pelvis when viewed from the side to help determine whether an animal will score above or below a 3.0. To do this, assess the angle between the hooks and pins, using the thurl as a reference point. If the angle between the hooks and the pins is in the shape of a V, then the body condition score will likely be a 3.0 or lower (Figure 1A). If the angle between these two points is the shape of a flattened U, the body condition score will likely be a 3.25 or greater (Figure 1B). If this region appears to show a flat line, then the animal will likely score a 4.0 or greater (Figure 1C). After this, the score can be refined by looking at the appearance of other areas viewed from the side or rear, such as the short ribs, hooks, pins, sacral ligament, and tailhead ligament (Tables 1 and 2).

*Adapted from Penn State Extension, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wASXNn_CTCU

*Adapted from Penn State Extension, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wASXNn_CTCU

Additional images and guidance for body condition scoring dairy cattle can be found in the appendix of the National Dairy FARM Animal Care Manual version 4.0 (https://nationaldairyfarm.com/farm-animal-care-version-4-0/) or by viewing the 2016 instructional video produced by Penn State University (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wASXNn_CTCU). Keep in mind that it can take time and a lot of practice to become proficient and consistent when body condition scoring. Practice is a critical part of developing this skill.

When should body condition be assessed?

At a minimum, body condition should be assessed at pregnancy confirmation, dry-off, and at calving. Ideally, cows should have a body condition score of 3.25 or 3.5 at dry-off and that score should remain consistent throughout the dry period so that cows calve with scores of 3.25 or 3.5. Research shows that cows who gain condition throughout the dry period are more likely to experience reduced feed intake and encounter metabolic disorders after calving. Therefore, it is important to remember that the dry period is not a time to add weight to cows. Achieving appropriate body condition during late lactation, before dry-off, is essential.

Scoring cows at additional time points throughout lactation can provide further insight to nutritional and management needs. Cows should not lose more than 1 condition score after calving. This can only be assessed if condition scores are measured at calving as well as at around 100 days in milk, which is typically after the point when cows stop using body reserves to support lactation. Scoring cows during key points, such as early lactation (~30 days in milk), peak milk (~80-100 days in milk), and late lactation (~200 days in milk) can provide additional information that can help farms identify and address troublesome areas. This is particularly useful for farms who have issues with cows that are too fat or too thin at dry-off or calving.

Summary

Ensuring that cows have sufficient, but not an overabundance of, fat stores is paramount to ensuring health and productivity. Utilization of body stores to support the increased nutritional demands of lactation is a natural part of mammalian physiology. However, excessive utilization of these fat reserves in a short period of time predisposes cows to metabolic disease. For this reason, managing body condition of cows throughout lactation is an important piece of the dairy management puzzle. At a minimum, body condition scores for dairy cattle should be assessed at key points: pregnancy confirmation, dry-off, and calving. Cows should be at a score of 3.25 or 3.5 at dry-off and at calving for optimal performance.