Condition scoring beef cows

Condition scoring beef cows is a quick, inexpensive and easy way of monitoring feeding programmes and productivity.

Speaking at the annual field day at Massey University’s Riverside Farm in the Wairarapa Associate Professor Steve Morris said while condition scoring is common in dairying, it’s not commonly used on beef cows.

“I suggest it’s an opportunity to improvement management. It can be used as a means of indicating the nutritional status of herd, feeding levels and can focus your feeding programmes.”

Dr Morris called the breeding cow the “hill country haybaler” and said it is an integral part of the management of hill country properties. “Condition scoring is a better indicator of how well the cow is utilising the feed. If we use liveweight at certain times of the year we have to take into account the weight of a foetus – which can be about 40kg – to get a true liveweight.”

He says condition scoring is particularly useful at the times of year when the cow is sensitive to nutrition, such as calving, the end of mating and at weaning.

He suggests cows should be at their peak liveweight at weaning at around 3 – 3.5; they should drop condition over winter to 2.5 pre calving, increasing again to 2.5 – 3 at mating.

“Some herds lose too much weight through autumn which can lead to problems at calving, they take longer to cycle, preventing milk production and leading to lower weaning weights.”

He suggests using a condition score of one to five, scoring over the spinal area and tail. “One condition score can be used right across breeds, across properties and types of country.”

Research is being done at Riverside to assess the effect of condition has on calving interval. Dr Morris says days to calving from bull introduction is seven days shorter in cows with a condition score greater than 3.5 at mating but cows under 3 weaned heavier calves.