Body condition scoring: A management tool

Body condition scoring of sheep

Body Condition Scoring of Dairy Cattle: A Review

The body condition scoring (BCS) is a subjective estimate of the energy reserves in adipose tissues of a dairy cow. It is an acceptive, noninvasive, quick and inexpensive method to estimate degree of fatness. It is a means of accurately determining body condition of dairy cows, independent of body weight and frame size [1]. It is evinced that the profile of lactating cows in milch barn is diffe...

Comparison of a classical with a highly formularized body condition scoring system for dairy cattle.

Body condition scoring is a common tool to assess the subcutaneous fat reserves of dairy cows. Because of its subjectivity, which causes limits in repeatability, it is often discussed controversially. Aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of considering the cows overall appearance on the scoring process and on the validity of the results. Therefore, two different methods to reveal...

Body condition scoring: a rapid and accurate method for assessing health status in mice.

Practical, rapid, noninvasive methods for assessing health status and establishing endpoints are needed in mouse experiments in which wasting and death are a potential end-point, including aging and toxicology studies, ascites production, and phenotype analysis in mutant mouse colonies. Current methods for assessing the health status of a mouse and establishing endpoints might include observati...

Assessing the potential value for an automated dairy cattle body condition scoring system through stochastic simulation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a dynamic, stochastic, mechanistic simulation model of a dairy business to evaluate the cost and benefit streams coinciding with technology investments. The model was constructed to embody the biological and economical complexities of a dairy farm system within a partial budgeting framework. A primary objective was to establish a flexible, user-...