There are three main areas on a cow’s body to handle when assessing body condition score (BCS), see pictures one to three. During lactation, most dairy cows will range from a BCS 2/4 of two to four. BCS is subjective and the accuracy can vary between scorers. Generally, BCS is gauged in 0.5 BCS increments. Where the scorer is more experienced, it can be assessed in 0.25 increments.

Managing dairy cow condition throughout the year is essential in avoiding problems caused by negative energy balances, maximising milk yield and reducing wintering costs. Regardless of whether the herd is spring or autumn calving, there should be a clear focus to avoid rapid body condition loss in early lactation. Pre-calving, the target should be to have cows in a BCS of three to 3.5. At the start of the breeding season, cows should still be in a minimum BCS of 2.5 to three, that’s a drop of just 0.5 of a BCS between calving and the onset of breeding. Cow condition during lactation should be kept where possible to between 2.5 and three until drying off.

The herd should be body condition scored pre-housing and again in mid-winter to assess winter feeding and the need for further grouping of cows based on condition score. Cows that are in poor condition should be grouped together and supplemented accordingly to increase condition over time.

Where condition is 0.5 below target coming up to drying off, it may be beneficial to place cows on once-a-day milking as a means of trying to improve condition cheaply at grass. Pre-breeding, the herd should be condition scored to assess cow condition.