Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

Physical condition is one of the most important aspects to consider when raising cattle. In breeding animals (cows, heifers, bulls), physical condition is closely related to fertility and fodder convertibility. In meat (bulls and heifers raised for beef production), it determines health, ability to gain weight and when animals are ready for slaughter.

For the methods used in this article, you can apply the score as you wish, although the Canadian score will be used below.

Steps

1. 1 Let's find out what a condition assessment is. Assessment of body condition in points, or assessment of physical condition in points (OFS), by definition, "the level of fat on the body of the animal." There are two different scoring scales that can be used to determine the health of livestock:
   • 1 to 9, which is the American grading system (or some call it the beef cattle grading system); or
   • 1 to 5, which is the Scottish (or Canadian) grading system, or for some, the grading system for dairy cattle.
   • One (1) refers to extreme wasting and 5 (or 9) refers to excess body fat or obesity.
2. 2 Collect livestock. Ride the cows with the correct grazing methods to collect them at the processing station in a corridor or box restraint.
   • Physical assessment, especially in beef cows, should be done when restrained. Some cows can be tamed enough to allow you to touch them, and most of them must be held in a headlock in order to be evaluated.
3. 3 Take a close look at the general condition of the cow. Using sight is one way to determine physical condition, but this can be difficult in livestock such as the Highland or Galloway because the thick coat hides much of what you can feel. Livestock wearing winter capes will also present such a problem.
4. 4 Work with right sides of the animal. The scar on the left will interfere with the ability to properly assess the cow.
5. 5 Start in the area above the last rib and the spine above that point. The area between the last rib and the transverse costal process of the vertebra (the first protrusion of the thigh) is the main area that is used for OFS. Notice the fat over the ribs and on the spine that covers this area. Then continue to inspect over the femoral ridges and spinous processes of the spine, the hip joint, and the base of the animal's tail. Please note the following (using Canadian, or assessment of the condition of dairy cows method):
   • OFS for 1: the whole animal will be extremely thin; this will be very noticeable in short-haired cows. The entire skeletal structure is visible, with no fat on the tail or sternum, without any muscle tissue and without a hint of external fat. Every single vertebra on the spine is visible, and you can place your fingers between each of the vertebrae. The short ribs are visually prominent and very sharp to the touch. The hip joint on the thighs is sunken, and the transverse costal and spinous processes of the spine are very pointed and stand out.
     • Animals with this rating are too thin and are of great interest to those in animal rescue societies such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and even to animal rights activists.
       • These lean cows have a low survival rate due to the lack of fat and muscle tissue in the body and on the body; malnutrition and disease pose a very high level of risk to animals in such a condition.
       • Cows will have great calving difficulties with a 1 GPA because of the lack of stored energy (fat) and muscle tissue that is required to cope with stress during calving, so difficult labor becomes a big problem for her. Emaciated cows produce little or no milk after calving, and return to estrus very late if they are not provided with adequate feed and nutrition to help them gain weight.
       • Emaciated and thin cows eat a lot of because of their condition, and because livestock are able to gain weight, this process is called compensation set. Lean cows have a higher temperature threshold than fat or normal cows due to lack of fat and energy reserves to survive in cold weather.
   • OFS for 2: the animal as a whole is thin, with a relief structure of the skeleton in the upper part, with the presence of a small amount of muscle tissue. There is also noticeable little tissue on the tail replica, thighs and flanks. Individual vertebrae can be felt in the spine, but they are not sharp. You cannot get your fingers between the vertebrae. Each rib can also be felt, although they will not be as sharp as with a 1-point GPR.
     • Although a cow is considered thin in this condition, she is not at such a high risk of malnutrition or illness as an animal with an OFS score of 1. However, she will later reproduce and have calving problems and still need to gain weight in order to be perceived as healthy livestock.
   • OFS for 3: this is the ideal state for calving. Ribs are not very visible, spinous processes and transverse costal processes are visible, but not protruding. The amount of muscle tissue is close to the maximum, and fat build-ups are already observed behind the shoulders and in the sternum. The line of the spine is quite definite, but the apexes of the vertebrae are difficult to feel. The short ribs are completely covered with fat, with an initial fat build-up along the sacrum, and individual ribs can only be felt with strong pressure.
     • Cows in this state are ideally hatching, although it is believed that they are on the verge of thin. They are much more likely to calve on their own with minimal or no complications, and are also able to produce enough milk for their calves.
     • Feeding costs are definitely reduced when your cows are at this (or higher) body condition because they do not eat as much and do not have the same high nutritional requirements as cows that score below that.
     • The lower limit of the critical temperature for these cows is lower (about -20ºC), which makes them more capable of surviving and even thriving in the winter.
       • However, it is not advisable for your cows to have this condition before the onset of the winter months; they should be in this state when the spring grass begins to grow and they can regain their weight lost over the winter.
   • OFS for 4: skeletal structure is difficult to determine because fat deposits are evident behind the shoulders, at the base of the tail, on the front of the chest and above the shoulders. The back will have a flat top line and the vertebrae cannot be felt. Fat folds begin to spread along the ribs and thighs, and even with strong pressure, each rib cannot be felt.
     • Cows are considered to be moderately fat or fat in this condition, but this is the optimal position the cow should be in before the start of the winter period, as this means that the feed and pasture can be of lower quality without worrying too much about problems. malnutrition during the colder months. They will undoubtedly lose weight, as it is natural for any herbivore during the most difficult times of the year.
       • However, some animals in this condition may have slightly more calving and milk production problems than cows with a normal PFS score of 3.This is because fat deposits begin to build up around the birth canal, making calving difficult (fat deposits prevent the birth canal from stretching enough to allow the calf to be born), and udder fat can cause less milk to be produced than is required.
       • Between an OFC of 4 and 5 is the best condition to move the tested livestock to the feedlot, or for small farmers, to slaughter a bull.
   • OFS for 5: this is the case when the animal is considered obese. The animal will have a massive appearance with a predominantly flat shape. The sternum area will be weighed down with fat, and the thighs and base of the animal's tail will be fairly well buried in the folds of fat. The animal will have a flat back and individual vertebrae cannot be felt at all. There are no short ribs as they are completely covered with fat. Excessive fat can limit mobility.
     • As mentioned above, with a GPA of 5, calving and milk production will be difficult for cows in this condition. Cows with an FCR of 4 or higher should be placed on low quality feeding to lose weight by breeding and / or calving season.
       • Bulls in this condition will have fertility problems, as fat deposits in the scrotum will cause the temperature of the testicles to rise, which negatively affects sperm quality.
       • North American meat producers are downgrading over-fat carcasses due to excess fat to be cut and excessive marbling.
         • However, in the case of Japanese marbled beef, animals in this state are more valuable, since beef with such a high marbling degree is considered a delicacy.
6. 6 Pay attention to the physical condition of each cow you are evaluating. This will help keep a record of which cow has which score, so you can later determine if some of the leaner cows should be separated from the fat ones.
7. 7 Do the same for the other cows you want to evaluate.

Tips

• Observe body condition after periods of harsh weather. Because, as a rule, cows need more nutritious feed when winter temperatures drop below their low temperature threshold and when snowstorms prevent them from getting the feed they need. Cows may eat more after a cold snap or particularly severe snowstorms, and this should be taken into account when feeding in winter.
• Physical assessment is very important in regions where winter feeding is essential. In most areas, 40 percent of the variable farm costs per cow is for winter feed.
  • Thus, 65 to 75 percent of the total variable costs are associated with feed.
• If you save $ 1 on winter feed, it can increase your profit by as much as $ 2.48 per cow per year. It doesn't seem like much, but it all adds up.
• Practice, practice, practice. Someone may have a better understanding and appreciation of the physical condition of livestock than others, so there is a lot to learn and practice to fully embrace this management practice.
• Prepare it for the fatness you accumulate over different periods of time to one large round (500kg) briquette per cow. In other words, the physical fatness that a cow builds up before calving or before winter can be a good help during her lactation and winter periods when the feed is of poor quality, respectively.
• Increase the condition of your cows when feed is cheap or when the grass is growing well and of good quality.
• Limit your dry matter intake or add straw.
• Less feed will be needed for the winter when the cows are in good condition.
• There are no muscles in the area of ​​short ribs, spine and bones of the upper thigh of the animal. Therefore, the assessment of body condition is done specifically for these areas.
• Apply a cheaper feeding system such as the skip day principle.
• Body condition assessment should be done three times a year: during the fall pregnancy check or the beginning of the winter feeding periodwhen the OFS in cows should be 3 points or more; during calvingwhen adult cows should reach 2.5 and heifers 3 points; and 30 days before the breeding seasonwhen the optimal score for cows and heifers should be 2.5 points.
• Use these formulas to convert Canadian Dairy or Dairy CFS to American Meat CFS or Beef CFS and vice versa:
  • Canada. OFS = (American OFS + 1) / 2
  • Amer. OFS = (Canadian OFS - 1) 2
• In the Canadian OFS, the body fat percentage for each point is as follows:
  • GPA 1: 5 percent or less adipose tissue
  • OFS 2: 15 percent adipose tissue
  • OFS 3: 20 percent adipose tissue
  • OFS 4: 27.5 percent body fat
  • GPA 5: 35 or more percent adipose tissue

Warnings

• Physical assessment can be difficult for those with no experience or knowledge of how to properly assess an animal. Make sure you look at the many different fat-specific animal images to get an idea of ​​exactly what applies to them.
• A cow may kick if she doesn't like being touched at the back of her legs.