Condition scoring in sheep is a simple, yet effective way to tell
the nutritional status, health and condition of your sheep.
Weight alone will not tell you everything needed to know, but
if combined with a body condition score, much can be determined.
Body condition scoring is quick, and easy, and requires no equipment.
There are different body condition score ranges to target for
sheep based on their production stage.
And keeping them in these ranges can increase productivity.
Body condition score can affect the number of lambs born,
the birth weight of the lamb, the survival of the lamb, and
the quantity and quality of colostrum and milk production.
Some times to body condition score or prior to breeding,
midway through gestation, six weeks before lambing, and just after weaning.
It's also never a bad idea to body condition score when working the with
sheep for other management practices.
The scores are based primarily on the fact deposition
around the transverse process in the loin region.
But in thin sheep, muscle loss can also occur.
The scale is from one to five, with one being the most emaciated and
five being the most obese.
Half scores are also used, like 2.5 or 3.5.
Here, we will show where to look for fat and
muscling to determine the score on your sheep.
The main places where there will be fat depositions are the central spinal column,
the spinous process, the transverse process, and the loin region.
Other regions to evaluate include the ribs and hooks.
The spinous process is a vertical bone protrusion and the transverse processes
are short, horizontal protrusions on the sides of the spinal column.
Most sheep will fatten from front to rear and top to bottom, so
keep that in mind when assigning scores.
A score of 1 is an emaciated sheep.
The spinous processes are very prominent and can be easily felt.
On the loin, there is little muscle and no fat.
The transverse processes can also be easily felt and
one can pass fingers underneath them.
Sheep at the score are more prone to disease and have a higher risk of death.
If you have a sheep with a score of 1, you should evaluate your feeding programs,
check for parasites, and check the teeth of the sheep.
These could be the reasons the sheep is underweight.
If not, it could also be from age or more serious health problems.
A score of 2 is a thin sheep.
The spinous processes are still prominent, but
the loin is filled with more muscle with little fat cover.
The transverse processes are rounder, and
slight pressure is needed to feel underneath them.
A score of 3 is an average sheep.
The spinous processes are smooth and round and
individual processes can only be felt if pressure is applied.
The loin has a full amount of muscle with some fat cover.
The transfer's processes are smooth and firm pressure is needed to feel them.
A score of 4 is a fat sheep.
The spinous processes are hard to feel and can only be felt with some pressure.
The loin has a full amount of muscle and a large amount of fat.
The transverse processes cannot be felt.
A score of 5 is an obese sheep.
The spinous processes cannot be felt.
The loin has a full amount of muscle and thick covering of fat.
The transverse processes cannot be felt.
A score of 5 is not a good thing as they are too fat and are not fit.
Overweight sheep are more prone to lambing problems and prolapses.
Just because a score of three is the average sheep,
that doesn't mean your sheep should stay at a score of three all the time.
Body condition scores can change to optimize production
at a certain management period.
For ewes, their score can change throughout their production cycle.
During breeding the optimal score is between a 3.0 and a 3.5.
From early to mid-gestation, the optimal score is around 2.5.
At lambing, they should be between 3.0 and 3.5.
This is because ewes with moderate body condition scores generally have
fewer birthing problems.
During lactation, most animals will drop in body condition scores because
they cannot meet the energy demands of lactation.
By weaning, most ewes can be in a score range of 2.0 to 2.5.
The most important part is to monitor the flock, and
make sure they are not falling out of a natural range.
Body condition score can be modified by one point by increasing or
decreasing the sheep's weight by 10 to 12%.
This usually requires a 10 to 15 pound body weight increase or
decrease to change the score.
You will need to monitor how your sheep respond to desired changes,
while altering the nutrition program, which can take some time.
It is better to prevent becoming too thin or
fat using body condition scoring frequency, than to try and
change feeding practices to bring them back to the ideal weight.
Here we've marked the loin region by the vertical lines.
The horizontal line indicates the position of the transverse processes.
To determine body condition score, you will feel under these bones and
how covered they are.
Now that we've discussed how body condition works,
let's look at it on a live sheep.
You want to make sure your sheep is relaxed and
standing normally before you start palpating.
You don't want them all crowded in the chute.
It's the same basics as what we explained in the beginning of the video.
Palpation is important because even evaluating
a fresh-shorn ewe by eye is not as accurate as palpation.
When you palpate, make sure the fingers are on the skin and not the wool.
You will be using just the hand and finger to palpate.
To find where you're going, first locate the backbone with the thumb.
Then use your fingers to get to the edge of the loin at the structures
of the transverse process.
First, palpate the transverse process.
Feel how covered they are and if you can feel underneath them at all.
Use this to determine the initial body condition score.
Next go to the hooks and see how they feel.
Lastly feel over the loin and ribs to see if you feel more fat or muscle.
This is usually a bit difficult with unshorn sheep.
Use what you felt from the ribs, hooks, and spine to fine tune your initial score.
You can use your hand as a reference.
Put one hand up and use the other hand to feel it.
When palpating, if the transverse process is feel like the ends of your fingers,
it is a score of one.
If it feels like your knuckles, it's a score of two.
If it feels like your first knuckle, it's a score of three.
If it feels like the top of the hand, it's a score of four.
You need to make sure you are palpating to the bones and feeling for fat and
muscle cover, because a sheep can be very thin but have a large wool cover.
Here we can see the difference between a ship that is shorn and one that is not.
You may notice it is a lot easier to see the muscle and
fat cover on the one that is shorn.
The point of this is to show you that just because a sheep looks large due to its
fleece doesn't mean that correlates to its body condition.
Sheep with wool have to be palpated to get an accurate body condition score.
Some important takeaways from this are to check body condition frequently and
understand that although three is a good average,
score will vary by production phase.
Palpation of fat and
muscle cover is important to finding score because wool can be deceptive.
Body condition score can indicate the health of the sheep which is incredibly
useful in your operation.
After watching this video, you can see the importance of body condition scoring
in sheep, and how it can provide a measurement of the health of your sheep.
This can help you increase efficiency and improve management of your flock.