Relationship between body condition score and body composition in dairy cows

The relationship between body condition score and physically dissected body composition was assessed in forty cull Friesian and Friesian‐cross cows. Body condition score was assessed using the New Zealand condition scoring system which is based on the contours of the cow from its hooks to its hocks. Measurements following slaughter included the weights of the udder, kidney knob and channel fat, omental fat, and mesenteric fat, the post‐mortem thickness of the dewlap, the dentition, and carcass length. The proportions of dissectible fat, muscle, and bone were assessed in a 10–11–12 rib joint. Over the range of 1.4 to 8.0, condition score was positively related to the weight of the internal fat depots, the proportion of fat in the sample joint, and the muscle to bone ratio in the sample joint. Between condition scores 1 and 3 the cows had limited body fat reserves. Dewlap thickness provided a good estimation of body fatness.