Body Condition Score (BCS) — Your Livestock's Silent Health Report Card

In the Eastern Cape's diverse farming conditions — from the sourveld grazing of the highlands to the sweetveld of the Karoo — livestock performance is directly linked to nutritional management. One of the reliable, low-cost, and effective ways to monitor herd health and productivity is through Body Condition Scoring (BCS).

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗕𝗖𝗦? 

BCS is a hands-on, visual assessment of a livestock's fat reserves and overall condition. It's not about weighing them, but about evaluating muscle and fat cover, especially over the ribs, spine, and hips.

Most farmers use a scale from 1 to 5:

• 1 – Very thin, poor condition: Emaciated with no fat reserves.

• 2 – Thin: Ribs are visible, but the animal is not emaciated.

• 3 – Good condition: The ideal score for most production stages. Ribs are not visible, but can be easily felt.

• 4 – Fat: The animal is carrying more reserves than necessary.

• 5 – Obese: At risk for metabolic and breeding issues.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗕𝗖𝗦 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗲

The region's climate and grazing patterns demand flexibility in herd management. With dry spells, cold snaps, and patchy pasture growth, keeping an eye on condition helps you:

• Maximise Reproduction: Cows and ewes in optimal BCS conceive easier and carry healthier offspring.

• Improve Weaning Weights: Good condition in mothers supports better milk production, leading to heavier calves and lambs.

• Plan Feed Budgets: Identify livestock that need extra supplementation before condition loss becomes a problem.

• Prevent Disease: Monitoring BCS helps prevent metabolic diseases linked to under- or over-conditioning.

The province's seasonal feed fluctuations make it easy for livestock conditions to drop rapidly, especially in winter or during drought years. Regular BCS checks — ideally every 4 to 6 weeks — help farmers respond before performance losses occur.

𝗕𝗖𝗦 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Reproductive success is closely tied to body condition. Cows that are too thin often have delayed cycling, while overly fat cows may suffer from calving difficulties. In sheep, ewes with a score below 2 before mating often have lower lambing percentages. By aiming for the right conditions at mating and lambing/calving, you can significantly boost productivity without increasing input costs dramatically.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲

The most critical times to assess BCS include:

• Pre-breeding: Aim for a BCS of 2.5–3.5 for best conception rates.

• Mid-pregnancy: Keep the condition stable to avoid last-minute catch-up feeding.

• Pre-lambing/calving: Good condition supports strong births and early lactation.

• Weaning: Evaluate mothers' recovery and set feeding plans for the next cycle.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆

Scoring is best done by both sight and feel.

• Look and feel: Visual checks can be misleading under thick coats; use your hands to feel over the ribs, spine, and tailhead.

• Be consistent: Use the same scoring method and, if possible, the same person to score the herd each time.

• Record your scores: Track trends over time to make proactive feeding and breeding decisions.

𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀:

• Cattle: Short ribs, spine, hooks, and pins.

• Sheep/Goats: Lumbar spine and short ribs.

𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀

1. Integrate BCS into routine handling: Score during dosing, pregnancy testing, or shearing.

2. Plan for seasonal drops: Anticipate lower conditions in late winter and budget supplementary feed accordingly.

3. Match feed to production stage: Early lactation needs differ from dry periods.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲

In the Eastern Cape, BCS is not just a management tool — it's an early warning system. It tells you when your grazing is doing the job, when your feed plan is working, and when it's time to step in before production losses hit.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀

1. National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Guidelines for Livestock Body Condition Scoring. Pretoria: DAFF, 2018.

2. University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science. Body Condition Scoring for Cattle, Sheep, and Goats.