Overview
The Body Condition Score (BCS) assesses the body condition of an animal by sight and touch. Instead of "looks thin" you note down a figure that can be compared between animals and followed over time.
Herdy works with the scale 1.0 to 5.0 in half steps, that is nine levels: 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0. The healthy range is 2.5 to 3.5. Values within this range have a green background, values below and above it orange.
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1.0 | Severely emaciated |
| 2.0 | Thin |
| 3.0 | Ideal |
| 4.0 | Fat |
| 5.0 | Obese |
The intermediate levels 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 lie in between.
The overview page
Under Care & Welfare > BCS the most recently recorded value with its date is shown for every animal that has been scored, sorted by recording date. A click on a row opens the animal profile. Animals without a score do not appear here.
Recording BCS for a single animal
- Go to Care & Welfare > BCS
- Tap Record BCS
- Select the animal under Animal
- Tap the matching value in the Body Condition Score field
- Check the Date, today is preset
- Optional: Note, for example "after lambing" or "coat change"
- Tap Save
The same path exists from the animal profile: open the BCS tab and tap Record BCS, then the animal is already selected.
Scoring several animals
On the check round through the barn you score several animals one after another:
- Go to Care & Welfare > BCS
- Tap Score multiple animals
- Narrow down the list, using the search field by name or ear tag, using the species buttons or using Select all
- Tick the box next to the animal. The nine value buttons unfold underneath.
- Tap the matching value and move on to the next animal
- At the end, tap Save all
At the top a running count shows how many animals you have scored and how many of them lie outside the healthy range. All values are saved with today's date. A date in the past is not possible in this view; for that you use the single recording.
Trend on the animal profile
On the animal profile the BCS tab shows the development of the animal:
- a curve across all scores with their dates
- a coloured band for the healthy range 2.5 to 3.5
- underneath, the list of all values with date and note, newest first
That way you spot animals that drop off after birth, animals that are too high before the breeding season, and slow trends that are easy to miss in everyday work.
BCS on the welfare dashboard
On the care overview the Body Condition Score card summarises the herd: the average of the latest values, the number of animals outside 2.5 to 3.5 and the average per group. This shows you which group as a whole is drifting off.
When to record?
Sensible moments:
- before the breeding season, so that ewes are neither too thin nor too fat when mated
- after birth and lambing, to measure the drop in condition
- at weaning, to judge the recovery
- before the drive up to the alp and after the drive down
- after shearing, when the touch is reliable again
Tip: A single value says little. The BCS only becomes meaningful across several assessments per year on the same animal.