The pinbone will palpate as skin covering bone. 2.50 Loin Processes Spine Appearance Likewise, the appearance of the sacral ligament and the tail head ligament are used to define body condition score in cows 3.25 quarter and higher. The sacral and Coccygeal ligament will be distinctly visible in cows that are 3.25 in body condition score. The tail head ligament tends to disappear before the sacral ligament as cows increase in body condition. As cows approach a body condition 4, the sacral ligament disappears and these cows move into the too fat range.
Cows are too fat when the pelvic ligaments are buried in fat.
Optimal Body Condition Introduction Quantifying Optimal cond. Dry cows need sufficient body reserves to support early lactation milk production when energy intake lags energy output in milk. Thus over conditioning is to be avoided. Reasonable body condition at calving would be that which provides sufficient reserves without depressing intake. Optimal dry cow body condition score should be above a 3.00 and below a 3.75.