VIDEO: BCS – talking metabolic disorders and cow diets

05-12-2022 | |
Some cows have a better capacity to handle a higher Body Condition Score than others.
Some cows have a better capacity to handle a higher Body Condition Score than others.

In this video at the Dairy Campus in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, Rosalinde Goselink from Wageningen Livestock Research gives us some insights into Body Condition Scoring (BCS).

Measuring the BCS gives us an indication of the amount of fat/adipose tissue in the dairy cow. Goselink talks about Body Condition Score during the transition period and aims for a BCS at about 3 to 3.5. This is important to note because if the score is too high then there is a susceptibility to metabolic disorders.

The biggest influence on the BCS, she says, is the feeding at the end of lactation relative to the production the animal still has, so if milk production is low in combination with an energy-rich diet, the BCS will increase. There are differences in cows as some cows have a better capacity to handle a higher BCS than others, she notes. Here she gives us some insights into research on this topic.

Video shot by Theo Galama

van Dijk
Zana van Dijk Editor Dairy Global


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