Partition of fat, body composition and body condition score in mature cows

Wright, I. A.; Russel, A. J. F.

doi:10.1017/s0003356100041313

Cited by 122 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(13 reference statements)

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“…1995). Wright & Russel (1984) reported a strong relationship (r = 0.93) between the British condition scoring method and the proportion of physically dissected fat in 15 Friesian cows. The Australian method has been found to be closely related to chemically estimated body fat % in 10 mixed breed dairy cows (r = 0.86) (Hodge et al unpubl.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Relationship between body condition score and body composition in dairy cows

Robins

Thomas

et al. 1998

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

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The relationship between body condition score and physically dissected body composition was assessed in forty cull Friesian and Friesian-cross cows. Body condition score was assessed using the New Zealand condition scoring system which is based on the contours of the cow from its hooks to its hocks. Measurements following slaughter included the weights of the udder, kidney knob and channel fat, omental fat, and mesenteric fat, the post-mortem thickness of the dewlap, the dentition, and carcass length. The proportions of dissectible fat, muscle, and bone were assessed in a 10-11-12 rib joint. Over the range of 1.4 to 8.0, condition score was positively related to the weight of the internal fat depots, the proportion of fat in the sample joint, and the muscle to bone ratio in the sample joint. Between condition scores 1 and 3 the cows had limited body fat reserves. Dewlap thickness provided a good estimation of body fatness.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Relationship between body condition score and body composition in dairy cows

Robins

Thomas

et al. 1998

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

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“…More specifically, BCS is an estimate of fat stores on the body (Ferguson et al, 1994) assessing subcutaneous fat cover over specific body regions (Wright and Russel, 1984). Wright and Russel (1984) found that BCS is a poor predictor of inter-and intramuscular fat, which together account for 35 to 45% of body fat (Roche et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between body condition score and health traits in first-lactation Canadian Holsteins

Loker

Miglior

Koeck

et al. 2012

Journal of Dairy Science

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The objective of this research was to estimate daily genetic correlations between longitudinal body condition score (BCS) and health traits by using a random regression animal model in first-lactation Holsteins. The use of indicator traits may increase the rate of genetic progress for functional traits relative to direct selection for functional traits. Indicator traits of interest are those that are easier to record, can be measured early in life, and are strongly genetically correlated with the functional trait of interest. Several BCS records were available per cow, and only 1 record per health trait (1 = affected; 0 = not affected) was permitted per cow over the lactation. Two bivariate analyses were performed, the first between BCS and mastitis and the second between BCS and metabolic disease (displaced abomasum, milk fever, and ketosis). For the first analysis, 217 complete herds were analyzed, which included 28,394 BCS records for 10,715 cows and 6,816 mastitis records for 6,816 cows. For the second analysis, 350 complete herds were analyzed, which included 42,167 BCS records for 16,534 cows and 13,455 metabolic disease records for 13,455 cows. Estimation of variance components by a Bayesian approach via Gibbs sampling was performed using 400,000 samples after a burn-in of 150,000 samples. The average daily heritability (posterior standard deviation) of BCS was 0.260 (0.026) and the heritabilities of mastitis and metabolic disease were 0.020 (0.007) and 0.041 (0.012), respectively. Heritability estimates were similar to literature values. The average daily genetic correlation between BCS and mastitis was −0.730 (0.110). Cows with a low BCS during the lactation are more susceptible to mastitis, and mastitic cows are likely to have low BCS. Daily estimates of genetic correlations between BCS and mastitis were moderate to strong throughout the lactation, becoming stronger as the lactation progressed. The average daily genetic correlation between BCS and metabolic disease was −0.438 (0.125), and was consistent throughout the lactation. A lower BCS during the lactation is genetically associated with the occurrence of mastitis and metabolic disease.

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“…Good body condition in cattle reflects high amounts of energy stores in body tissue (Wright & Rüssel, 1984). Changes in body condition, direction of body weight change and intake of dietary energy influence the duration of anoestrus after parturition (Wiltbank et al, 1962;Dunn & Kaltenbach, 1980) and during the prepubertal period in bovine females.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%