BCS depiction

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I try to keep them around 5-6... if they're much higher than that they're probably not milking as much as they should, if they're much below it I'm not feeding them enough or they're milking too hard. Some of them are a little tricky because they have big bellies, but aren't actually carrying a lot of fat
 
We like to have our cows to have a BCS of about a 6. They drop off a bit during winter (maybe one body condition score), but they gain back the weight by the time they calve in March.
 
Nesikep":3ah6n17r said:
Mine usually gain condition through the fall and winter and lose it in the summer

Same here Nesi. Makes me wonder if I feed them too well in winter or if summer pasture is just that void of nutrition, plus the strain of 5-6 hundred lb calfs nursing doesn't help either.
 
M-5":20xd1ypm said:
southernultrablack":20xd1ypm said:
Ok, gonna try to kickstart this thing!

About a BCS of 6?
I disagree, I say it's 7 to7.5

Agree with dash on this one.
The next pic looks like a 5 at best.
 
Here's one of my BIG cows.. I think she's around BCS 6... shes got enough fat on the tailhead


Here's one that's a little thin.. she was bred late as a heifer, and is the one I made a deal with.. if she raises a good calf and catches up by a month every year she can stay, but it required her to milk through the winter every year except this year, and with no additional feed... she's probably a BCS 4. By next year she'll be caught up, she's due in May this year
 
She's not that fat.. she's just big boned :p

Second cow is putting on some weight now... She's made good calves considering what she's had to do it with, and her sister is a top producer... both were bred to their full brother last year so I'll see what comes of it

Here's their momma with her second calf in the fall.. she kept good condition and raised a good calf.
 
bball":22upscej said:
Nesikep":22upscej said:
Mine usually gain condition through the fall and winter and lose it in the summer

Same here Nesi. Makes me wonder if I feed them too well in winter or if summer pasture is just that void of nutrition, plus the strain of 5-6 hundred lb calfs nursing doesn't help either.

Ours are the same but I think a lot of it has to do with the bales/water are right there & they're not getting as much exercise in the winter. Plus, by the time summer rolls around their calves are nursing them so much a lot of cows loose condition. And it's hot - they don't want to graze as much. I know I put on a couple pounds during the winter & get too thin during the summer :)
 
Okay, in defense of the fat girl . . . . Our Steamroller is a solid BCS 9, looks 9 months bred always. She's so darn fat our vet couldn't even get an accurate due date last year but I'll be damned, she breeds/calves like clockwork & is always one of the first to calve, has a perfect bag/teats. We were going to sell her because of a perpetual wonky foot (quite possibly foot rot that has segued into the bone) but we've moved her to a smaller pasture & she gets around fine. Bless her heart she's 10 years old but she was a fatty when we bought her in '09. All her steers are named Shythead because she's so fat they nurse from behind (and, you know, stuff happens) but we've kept the 2 heifers from her, best guess they're both BCS 6 and have raised "normal weight" calves - some of which we've kept (BTW the heifers always nurse from the side. Because they're girls?). Having said that, some of our cows are pushing the scale but overall ranging from a 5 - 7.
 

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