Invited review: Body condition score and its association with dairy cow productivity, health, and welfare
DairyNZ · AgroParisTech · +3 more institutions
Abstract
The body condition score (BCS) of a dairy cow is an assessment of the proportion of body fat that it possesses, and it is recognized by animal scientists and producers as being an important factor in dairy cattle management. The scale used to measure BCS differs between countries, but low values always reflect emaciation and high values equate to obesity. The intercalving profile of BCS is a mirror image of the milk lactation profile. Cows lose condition for 50 to 100 d postcalving, because of homeorhetic changes that occur in the somatotropic axis and the sensitivity of peripheral tissues to insulin, and the upregulation of lipolytic pathways in adipose tissue. Management and feeding have little effect on…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 64.53
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 283
Authors
6Topics & keywords
- Welfare
- Productivity
- Association (psychology)
- Dairy cattle
- Animal science
- Agricultural science
- Economics
- Biology