Invited Review- Body Condition Score And Its Association With Dairy Cow Productivity, Health, And Welfare.

J. Dairy Sci. 92:5769–5801 doi:10.3168/jds.2009-2431 © American Dairy Science Association, 2009.

Invited review: Body condition score and its association with dairy cow productivity, health, and welfare
J. R. Roche,*1 N. C. Friggens,† J. K. Kay,* M. W. Fisher,‡ K. J. Stafford,§ and D. P. Berry#
*DairyNZ Ltd., PO Box 3221, Hamilton, New Zealand †UMR INRA-AgroParisTech Model Syst. Nutr. Rum.,16 rue Claude Bernard, 75231 Paris, France ‡Kotare Bioethics, PO Box 2484, Stortford Lodge, Hastings 4153, New Zealand §Institute of Veterinary Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand #Teagasc, Moorepark Dairy Production Research Centre, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland

ABSTRACT

The body condition score (BCS) of a dairy cow is an assessment of the proportionof 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 dpostcalving, 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 early postcalving BCS loss (wk 1 to 4 postcalving) until the natural period of insulin resistance has passed and the somatotropic axis has recoupled. There isevidence, however, that management and diet can influence the timing of recoupling of the somatotropic axis and the sensitivity of peripheral tissues to insulin, and gene expression differences in adipose tissue 30 d in milk confirm an effect of energy intake on lipogenic enzymes. The BCS in which a cow calves, nadir BCS, and the amount of BCS she loses postcalving are associated with milk production,reproduction, and health. Body condition score may also be a valid indicator of animal welfare, but further research is required to determine the effect of BCS and BCS change on how a cow “feels.” Although the actual strength of the association may vary, there is relative consistency in the associations among calving and nadir BCS, and BCS change on milk production, postpartum anestrous, thelikelihood of a successful pregnancy and days open, the risk of uterine infection, and the risk of metabolic disorders. For many production and health variables, the associaReceived May 29, 2009. Accepted August 31, 2009. 1 Corresponding author: john.roche@dairynz.co.nz

tion with BCS is nonlinear, with an optimum calving BCS of 3.0 to 3.25 (5-point scale); lower calving BCS is associated withreduced production and reproduction, whereas calving BCS ≥3.5 (5-point scale) is associated with a reduction in early lactation dry matter intake and milk production and an increased risk of metabolic disorders. Ongoing research into the automation of body condition scoring suggests that it is a likely candidate to be incorporated into decision support systems in the near future to aid producers inmaking operational and tactical decisions. Key words: body condition score, health and welfare, reproduction, review
INTRODUCTION

Adipose tissue reserves are stringently maintained by peripherally and centrally produced hormones (Roche et al., 2008), in accordance with the “lipostatic” theory (Kennedy, 1953); the provision of nutrients for the neonate mammal, however, is facilitated by lipolysisand muscle catabolism for a period postpartum. Dairy cows exhibit this mammalian tendency to nurture the neonate from tissue stores (Bauman and Currie, 1980), losing “condition” for approximately 40 to 100 d after calving (Koenen et al., 2001; Coffey et al., 2004; Friggens et al., 2004b; Pryce and Harris, 2006; Roche et al., 2006a, 2007a; Sumner and McNamara, 2007) before replenishing lost tissue...