Body Condition Scoring in Meat Goats

Linda I. Spahr
York County Extension Agent

Market goat producers need to be concerned with body condition not only in the nannies but also in the herd bucks. Body condition can mean the difference between a good kidding season and a dismal season. Nannies that are too fat may not get bred at all. Nannies that are too thin may experience low twinning rates, low weaning weights and general reproductive failure. The best way to prevent over or under conditioned breeding animals is to use the body condition scoring method.

Body condition scoring is a fairly simple concept. With practice, a producer can become proficient in scoring nannies and bucks throughout the year. Body condition simply refers to the fleshiness of the goat. Looking at a goat does not always give a true picture of the condition of the goat. In order to do that a producer needs to physically handle the animal over several key points. The best places to handle goats for condition indicators are over the ribs, on either side of the spine and over the backbone. Body condition scores run from 1 to 5, where 1 is very, very thin and 5 is obese. Nannies should carry a body condition score of 3 at breeding in order to maximize kidding rates and ease of kidding.

The following is helpful when trying to figure out exactly what you should be looking for when scoring your breeding goats.

Body Condition Scoring Table

Score	Spinous process	Rib cage	Loin eye
BCS 1 Very thin	Easy to see and feel, sharp	Easy to feel and can feel under	No fat covering
BCS 2 Thin	Easy to feel, but smooth	Smooth, slightly rounded, need to use slight pressure to feel	Smooth, even fat cover
BCS 3 Good Condition	Smooth and rounded	Smooth, even feel	Smooth, even fat cover
BCS 4 Fat	Can feel with firm pressure, no points can be felt	Individual ribs can not be felt, but can still feel indent between ribs	Thick fat
BCS 5 Obese	Smooth, no individual vertebra can be felt	Individual ribs can not be felt. No separation of ribs felt	Thick fat covering, may be lumpy and "jiggly"

The spinous process refers to the individual vertebra in the spine. If you run your fingers down the goat's spine from the shoulders to the tail head and you feel sharp, distinct points you would use a BCS of 1 to describe the goat. If you run your fingers down the spine and feel lumps of smooth flesh you would use a BCS of 3.

The loin eye edge or loin eye is the area you will feel if you place your thumbs on the goat's spine, while standing behind the goat. Curl your fingers down as if you were going to pick the goat up. You will now have cupped in your hand a shelf-like area. This area is the loin eye. Loin eye is measured in terms of depth (spine to ribs), length (hip bones to the last rib) and the width (from loin eye edge to opposite loin eye edge).

Fat cover may be the most difficult part of body condition scoring for you. The easiest way to learn how fat cover feels is to find a very thin animal and gently run your fingers from the spine down over the ribs while your fingers are together, but extended. You will be able to feel each rib very easily. Now find a fat goat and do the same process. Now you will notice that you can not feel the individual ribs and that you may feel bumps of fat. The fatter the goat, the more lumpy the fat will feel. In an extremely obese goat you will encounter ridges of bunched fat as you run your hands down the ribs.

A thin goat will appear very angular with the spine and the hip bones prominent.

Looking down the top of a thin goat will show the angularity to the spine and hips.

A fat goat will appear smooth across the spine and the hip bones will blend into the body.

Now you know how to score your breeding animals, but what do you do with the scores once you have them. There are targets you should shoot for during key times of the year such as breeding, kidding and lactation. There are targets you should shoot for during key times. Nannies should maintain a body condition score of 2 to 3 at the beginning of the breeding season, with a BCS of 3 being optimum. Pregnant does need to be watched closely to make sure they fall in the BCS 3 category throughout their pregnancy.

Pregnant does should not be allowed to climb toward a BCS of 4 or higher since they risk toxemia or kidding difficulty. Does should never be allowed to slip below a BCS of 2. The same is true of the higher end of the scale. Does should not reach the BCS of 4 and should never reach a BCS of 5. Does with the high end scores usually don't get bred, and if they do breed they tend to have difficulty kidding.

When does kid make sure they do not drop from a 3 to a 2 or 1 too quickly. Feeding can be adjusted up or down by using the BCS. Be sure to make any feed adjustments gradually. The goat is a ruminant animal and sudden changes in the diet can greatly affect the rumen organisms.

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