Daisy Update Part I

I have a fat heifer . . . John kind of teases her about it, but I then remind him that she has "extra energy stores" because she has been eating along with his calves all winter.  If we didn't have calves to feed, we wouldn't be putting out extra feed.  Regardless, she and I have started on a walking regimen because I'm hoping to get her in a little better shape by the time she calves.  Almost every day this last week, I've walked her around the yard for 20 minutes.

The realization that Daisy had packed on a few pounds hit me when I was researching what is called a body conditioning score, or BCS.  Cattle are rated on a nine-point scale that helps determine their nutritional needs.  Here is a quick tutorial to show you how it works:

Skinnier cattle have very evident ribs, and skeletal features such as their backbones and pin bones are very obvious.  One tutorial I watched online explained that if you can see their ribs, the cattle should score a 1-4.  As soon as their ribs are not visible, they would score a 5-9.  A score of 5-7 is the most ideal.

This bull is fairly skinny.  You can see his ribs, his backbone, AND what are called the transverse spinous processes, which fill the space just below his spine.  Though I am not an expert (obviously), I would score this bull as a 2.

 The one below seems about right to me.  Her ribs are fully covered, but you can still the pointier bones on top of her hind end, which are the hooks.  I'm guessing she's a least a 6 and maybe a 7.

This cow is an example of Kobe beef (according to the details with the image), so I assume that explains her oddly small hind end and her very barrel-chested middle.  Regardless, I think the picture clearly illustrates what an 8-9 would look like.  There is no evidence of ribs and her whole front end is so large and blocky.

So after a bit of debate between John and me, we agree that Daisy is at least a 7 if not an 8.  We can't really try to slim her down diet-wise since losing weight that way would be unhealthy this late in her pregnancy; however, her size indicates that her calf could be bigger, which could cause difficulty during calving, or that she herself will be less motivated and energetic during calving.  However, once she makes it through calving, all of that saved up energy will come in handy as she feeds her baby!