Thinking about Body Condition Score and Milk Production
The Goldilocks Challenge: Finding the just right body condition score in dairy cows
Recently, my wife asked me if I had gained some weight.
That night, as I was stewing on whether I had put on pounds, I thought about body condition and overall health, which led me to wonder if there was any connection to lactation. As someone who works in dairy science, I find that all roads eventually lead to lactation. With that question in mind, I went to the research library to see if anyone had studied body types in the past. Our friends at the University of Florida did a retrospective observational study investigating the association between body condition score (BCS) 21 days before calving, pre- and post-partum dry matter intake, energy balance, and milk yield.
Balancing body condition for optimal milk production
The research showed the chubby cows were a bit lazier at the dinner table and had less energy to spare before and after calving than their slimmer sisters. The moderately plump cows also took it easier on the pre-calving snacks than the skinny ones, but once the calves were out, they all munched away like there was no tomorrow.
However, the moderately plump cows still had less energy to burn than the skinny ones before and after calving. When the BCS was beefed up (no pun intended) from 2.5 to 3.5, the milk production went up, suggesting that the skinny cows might need a bit more body condition to hit their milking stride. But when they went from 3.5 to 4.5, the milk yield dropped, indicating that the fatter cows might be burning through their body reserves too fast and losing their appetite, which isn’t great for milk production.
A moderate BCS before calving is just right
So, the takeaway? A moderate BCS before calving is just right for a successful lactation. It’s all about finding that sweet spot in the cow fitness spectrum.
Later that night, I explained to my wife that even though I might have gained some weight recently, it wasn’t enough to put me into the next level of BCS and that if I were a dairy cow, I’d be a damn good milk producer. She is the one lying awake and deeply perplexed now.
*Interested in this research? We’ve got you. You can read the study here.
Author: Rick Brown is Chemlock Nutrition’s Dairy Science Director with a BS in Animal Science from Cornell University.
