Dairy Cow Body Condition Score

Body condition scoring (BCS) is a method for determining the health and well being of your homestead livestock. Many livestock are scored on a scale of either 1-5 or 1-10, with the lower scores being thin and higher scores being over weight (i.e a BCS of 1 is dangerously under weight and a 5/10 is detrimentally over weight). In general you want your animals to be in the mid range or a bit higher for ideal health and reproductive capacity.

Body Condition Scores….

Dairy cows and beef cattle are judged on different scales. In general your dairy animal will carry less body condition (back fat) than a beef animal. Just makes sense doesn’t it?!?! It really does take some getting used to seeing your homestead dairy cow so thin standing beside next year’s beef steer!!!

Download your BCS PDF here!!!

Dairy-BCSDownload

I’ve attached a PDF with some visuals and judging criteria to help ease your conscience when you’re looking at that poor, skinny jersey cow out in the pasture next to your angus…..don’t worry you’re not doing wrong by your homestead milker! In fact if you dairy cow is over conditioned you will have troubles getting your cow to breed back and you will find yourself without milk and with a very expensive pasture pet! A skinny milk cow is a healthy milk cow….just not too skinny!!! Find out how to find the happy medium here….