Whole season OAD Milking - Body Condition Score (4-6)

Assessment of a cow’s Body Condition Score (BCS) gives a visual estimate of her body fat
reserves, which in turn provides useful information on her future productivity, future feed
requirements and previous level of feeding.

A BCS scale of 1 to 10 is used in NZ

A cow with a BCS of less than 3.0 is considered emaciated.
A cow with a BCS greater than 7.0 is considered obese.

1 BCS unit = 25 kg Lwt Jersey

= 35 kg Lwt Crossbred
= 40 kg Lwt Holstein-Friesian

The modern cow

Although cows milked OAD produce less than TAD they will still obtain their energy for milk
production from the feed they eat and from body fat stores. The relationship between BCS at
calving and subsequent milk production is therefore important.

Cows should be dried off according to targets, and fed generously when dry.
Aim for a target BCS at calving of 5 for mature cows and 5.5 for heifers at their first and
second calving.
Cows calving thin (less than BCS of 5.0) will produce less milk and are more likely to have
reproductive problems.
Cows calving too fat (greater than BCS of 6.0) are more likely to have calving problems,
metabolic diseases and other health issues.

Cows that are thin at calving are less fertile

BCS at calving and the extent to which BCS declines post-calving are the most important
BCS measures relating to fertility. OAD cows producing less will have a smaller loss of
BCS post calving than TAD cows.

Cows that are thin at calving produce less milk

Intake in early lactation cannot provide sufficient energy or protein for milk production.
OAD milking helps to alleviate this to some extent.
Energy requirements are therefore partly met by body reserves.
Cows at a lower BCS produce less milksolids.

Body condition score at calving

It is recommended that mature cows calve at a BCS of 5 (first and second calvers at 5.5).
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How do I achieve target condition scores?

BCS gain is achieved by feeding a cow more than she needs to meet her requirements for
maintenance and pregnancy.
In the final month of pregnancy the cow is directing considerable nutrients to the calf and
the udder. Therefore BCS gain is minimal.
The importance of feeding thin cows well during the dry period cannot be over
emphasised. Very thin cows (less than BCS of 4.0) should be given dry periods longer
than 2 months, in an effort to increase BCS to 5.0 before calving.

There is no difference between OAD and TAD cows on when they should be dried off.

While a cow is not milking the length of time required to put BCS back on is the same for
OAD and TAD cows.

BCS range is as important as average

It is important to have a narrow range of BCS’s within the herd.

Some fat cows and some thin cows will give you a good average score.
When the cows are dry it is important to separate the thin and fat cows and feed the thin
cows extra while feeding fat cows to maintain condition.

Dry cows must be fed like milkers to gain 1 BCS unit in 30 days
Drying off time based on BCS

Days from calving Cow BCS Rising 3 year old BCS

120 3.0 3.5
90 3.5 4.0
60 4.0 5.0
Calving 5.0 5.5

To gain 1 BCS in 1 month a cow must eat the amounts shown in the following table over
and above her requirements for maintenance.

Energy Jersey Holstein- Friesian

MJME/Kg DM 375 kg 500 kg
(kg DM/cow/day)
Pasture (autumn) 11.0 4.5 7.0
Pasture silage 10.5 5.0 7.5
(high quality)
Pasture silage 8.0 6.0 9.5
(ave. quality)
Maize silage 10.5 3.5 5.5
Grain 12.0 2.5 4.0

Note: Maize silage and grains cannot be fed as a sole diet.

Example: A 375 kg Jersey will require 3.5 kg DM/day of maize silage above her maintenance
requirements to gain 1 BCS in 30 days.

Updated: May 2006 ©DairyNZ 2008