Body Condition Scoring in Sheep, Goats, and Cattle: Methods, Scales, and Ideal Ranges

Body Condition Score (BCS)

A subjective assessment of the amount of fat and muscle cover on an animal's body.

BCS Scale goats

Scale is 1-5 with 0.5 increments, where 1 = too thin and 5 = too fat.

BCS 1 Goats

Emaciated. No fat cover. Both spinous and transverse processes are sharp and are easily felt.

BCS 2 Goats

Thin. Some fat cover. Both spinous and transverse processes are sharp and can be felt with a little pressure.

BCS 3 Goats

Average. Moderate fat cover. Both spinous and transverse processes are smooth and rounded and takes hard pressure to feel.

BCS 4 Goats

Fat. Thick fat cover. Spinous process can be felt with hard pressure and transverse process cannot be felt.

BCS 5 Goats

Obese. Very thick fat cover. Both spinous process and transverse process cannot be felt. Fat dimple can be detected over spine.

Factors that affect BCS

Nutrition, production stage, age, sex, and specific conditions like pre-breeding, early gestation, mid gestation, late gestation, lactating, and weaning.

Ideal BCS pre breeding

3-4 females, 4 males

Ideal BCS for Singles at Lambing

3-3.5.

Ideal BCS for Twins at Lambing

3.5-4.

Ideal BCS for Lactating

2.5+ with peak around 4 weeks post giving birth.

Low BCS may indicate?

May indicate problems such as infection/disease, injury, parasites, or nutritional deficiencies.

Nutrition for Low BCS

Increase protein (protein block/tub or high protein pellets/cubes >12% CP) and energy (carbohydrates like corn, oats, pelleted feed, grains).

BCS in Beef Cattle Scale

Scale goes from 1-9, with 1 being severely emaciated and 9 being extremely obese.

BCS 1 in Beef Cattle

Severely emaciated and physically weak with all ribs and bone structure easily visible.

BCS 2 in Beef Cattle

Emaciated. Muscle tissue seems severely depleted through the hindquarters and shoulder.

BCS 3 in Beef Cattle

Very thin with no fat on ribs or in brisket and the backbone is easily visible.

BCS 4 in Beef Cattle

Thin, with ribs visible and the backbone showing. The spinous processes are still very sharp and barely visible individually.

BCS 5 in Beef Cattle

Moderate. The spinous processes are smooth and difficult to identify, as are ribs.

BCS 6 in Beef Cattle

High moderate. Good smooth appearance throughout. The back appears rounded and ribs are not visible.

BCS 7 in Beef Cattle

Very good flesh. Tail head shows pockets of fat, and the back appears square due to fat. Ribs are not visible.

BCS 8 in Beef Cattle

Obese. Neck is thick and short and her back appears very square due to excessive fat.

BCS 9 in Beef Cattle

Extremely obese. May have problems with mobility due to excessive weight and restriction of limbs.

BCS for weaning

2+

Why is it harder for older animals to maintain BCS?

Competition

What does castration benefit in BCS?

Makes it easier to maintain a high BCS