Body Condition Scoring: A Valuable Management Tool For Dairy Herds

摘要

The overall performance of the dairy cows is dependent upon the amount and the efficiency of milk production, the level of feed intake and the body condition (BC) or body reserves. In dairy cows, the practice of increasing feed intake and nutrients availability during late pregnancy through utilization of high-energy feedstuffs is claimed to have many advantages. High yielding cows utilize an appreciable amount of body reserves during early lactation, although the losses are generally recovered during later stages of lactation. Underfeeding of cows during dry period results into poor BC and negative energy balance at or after calving, and such cows would not have enough body reserves to support their milk yield in ensuring lactation and the reproductive ability too.