Examples of Cows at Various Body Condition Scores

From the side, the bone of the tail is easy to see, the skeleton has the appearance of "saw". Individual short ribs are clearly visible, with hooks, forks and stitches protruding, there is a deep indentation between the bones. From the back, all protruding parts of the cardboard are easy to see, they suddenly protrude. A deep cavity is formed around the tail and pin bone. Cow ligament and vulva stand out, her legs are thin and her muscles are very poor.

The tail and skeleton protrude, and the covering of the skin is limited. On the short ribs, the cover of the skin from the tip to the spine is limited. Short ribs are clearly visible within three quarters of the distance. The hook and the pin are angular and there is a conspicuous throwing joint

Looking from the back, hooks, pins, and thrust stand out. The tail is slightly indented but there is a moderate physical range

Seen from the side, you can see the skeleton, but the tip of the short rib looks smooth. The hook is angular, but the pin is fat. Hook, Sul, pin forms V-shaped angle

When standing behind the cow, the hook is angulated, but the stitch is rounded or full of fat. Compared with BCS 3 cattle, this cow has a cavity below the tail

Three points, more meat covers the backbone, its appearance looks like a rounded ridge. The tip of the short rib is smooth. Hooks and pins are also round and smooth, but the angle between the hook, fork and pin forms a V shape

From the back, hooks and stitches are round and smooth. No deep depression was seen around the tail, it looked smooth and no sign of fat deposition was seen.

Compared to the cow shown here, the cow's bone covers more meat, the tip of the short rib is very smooth, and the hook and stitch are more round and smooth. This is also the first cow, and the angle between the hook, ear, and pin is U shaped.

From behind, the cow has round hooks and stitches, but the cheekbones and tail ligaments are still visible.

From the side, you can hardly see the tip of the cow's spine and short ribs. Hooks and stitches are very smooth, but the bones are still visible. However, the area between the hook and the stitch is thick and flat.

Looking at the cow from behind, her hook and needle are round, but you can see it. When viewed from the side, the area above the spool is flat and the span between the hooks is flat. You can not see the humerus and tail ligaments

With the highest score, the backbone, hooks and stitches will not be visible. The short ribs also disappeared and the entire ribs and buttocks flattened. The tail is round, fat deposition is very obvious.

Looking from the back, the protrusions of the cardboard are round and covered with fat, the tail seems to be buried with fat. Also, fat accumulation on the buttocks and feet is easy to see.

A health condition score of 1.0 indicates a very thin cow, ie a cow with skin and bones. Usually, if you use an increment of 0.1 or 0.25, cows with a score of 1.0 will not be displayed. Physical condition 2.0 is too thin. She may be a milking cow, but breeding may be affected by lack of physical condition. In addition, her breast milk production may be sacrificed later, or she may cause her health condition to cause a score of 2.0. If you have a cow between 1.0 and 2.0, you can tell the difference between the two. If she is between the two, her physical condition scores by 1.5. Ideally, cows in herd should not be less than 2.0.

A sudden change in your physical condition score can help you identify health problems in your herd. If a cow gets sick and stops eating, her physical condition score may change dramatically within a week. For example, if a cow develops wrinkles (twist of the stomach) immediately after parturition, if she stops eating and still produces moderate amount of milk, her physical condition score is less than 1 week to 4. It can be 0. It became 2.0. This example is extreme to use physical condition scores to show health problems of herds. Other examples may include low scores for heifers or cows with large parasite burden. These animals usually do not wear like healthy animals. In addition, cattle with low respiratory infections and heifers do not maintain or increase their physical score as healthy animals do. Cow of Johannes disease (Para Tuberculosis) may be an isolated example of a group of healthy cows