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Relationships Between Body Condition Scores And Live Animal Measurements Of Beef Cows, P.A. Momont, R.J. Pruitt

South Dakota Beef Report, 1988

Records from 133 mature Simmental x Angus cows collected over a 3-year period were used to determine the relationships between body condition scores and other measurements of cow body condition. Positive correlations were found between condition scores and backfat, weight/height ratios and cow weight. Correcting weight/height ratios of pregnant cows for weight of the conceptus did not improve the correlations with condition score. Backfat measurements had limited use in describing body condition, since backfat wasnear zero for cows less than condition score 5. Equations using condition scores accurately predicted weight/height ratios.