Body condition scoring (BCS) is a practical means to assess the effect of negative energy balance on cows during early lactation. The scoring system ranges from 1.0 to 5.0 increasing in increments of 0.25, with the majority of focus aimed at scores 2.0 to 4.0. Scores that fall outside of this range are recognised as extreme, with those under 2.0 severely underconditioned, and those over 4.0 severely over conditioned.
Body condition scoring is an important management tool that can be used to aid decisions, providing information on health and productivity. Calving in at the correct BCS will maximise production and reproduction Cows that are either too fat or too thin at calving are more susceptible to metabolic disorders.
BCS has a significant impact on Dry Matter Intake Over conditioned cows have smaller appetites in early lactation, this will extend the period of negative energy balance (NEB) making her prone to metabolic problems such as fatty liver or ketosis. Excessive BCS loss, caused by an extended NEB period, between calving and first insemination is associated with poor reproductive performance.
When to body condition score:
What is Mobility scoring: Mobility scoring is a scale used to determine the percentage of the overall herd that is lame. The 4 point scoring system ranks the mobility of cows in the herd from good to bad. Cows scoring 0 have very good mobility and show no signs of lameness whereas cows scoring 3 have severely impaired mobility and need urgent treatment.
Why we mobility score: There are a number of benefits to mobility scoring your herd, most importantly mobility scoring allows early detection of mobility issues, which when combined with prompt effective treatment can reduce the severity of lesions and the development of chronic changes within the foot.
• Identifies new problems at an early stage and monitor mobility trends
• Provides figures to benchmark performance
• Increases your awareness of cow foot health
• Motivates farm staff to improve herd mobility and overall herd health
When to mobility score: To detect any new mild cases, it is important to score every two weeks so that effective treatment can be promptly given. Aim to have an independent scorer every three to six months to monitor the whole herd so that you can review that you’re capturing and monitoring all score 2 and 3 cases.
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