Body Condition & Reproduction

Optimal Body Condition for Reproduction

Whether breeders are balancing a feed ration in the showbarn or in the pasture, goat producers need to understand body score conditioning. Body condition is critical to every producers kidding season. Boer does that are too fat or too thin can experience reproduction complications.

Overweight or underweight does may experience low twinning rates, low weaning weights or have general reproduction failure. To ensure that does are maintain the proper weight, breeders can use the body conditioning scoring method.

Socring the body condition of Boer goats is simple and consistent. The biggest challenge is that producers learning to score goats, should handle the goats over several key places, including the ribs, backbone and sides of the spine.

Body conditon scores are illustrated in the chart below, on a score of 1 to 5, where 1 is very, very thin and 5 is obese. Optimal breeding score is good condition (3).

Score Spinous Process Rib Cage Loin Eye

BCS1 (Very thin) Easy to see and feel. Easy to feel and can feel under. No fat covering

BCS2 (Thin) Easy to fee, buy smooth.

BCS3 (Good condition) Smooth and rounded Easy to fee, buy smooth. Smooth, slightly rounded, need to use slight pressur to feel. Smooth, even feel. Smooth, even fat cover

Smooth, even fat cover

BCS4 (Fat) Can feel with firm pressure, no points can be felt. Individual reibs can not be felt, but can still feel indent betwen ribs. Thick, fat cover

BCS5 ( Obese) Smooth, no individual vertebra can be felt. Individual ribs can not be felt. No separation of ribs. Thick fat coverning may be lumpt and “jiggly.”

The following definitions are reprinted from Penn State Extension. More information is available online at http://extension.psu.edu/courses/ meat-goat/reproduction/body-condition-scoring/term-definitions.

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). 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. 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.

2017 ABGA National Reserve Premier Exhibitor

National Grand Champion Pair of Buck kids National Grand Champion Premier Sire *LOVE'NM SHARK ATTACK *ENNOBLED National Grand Champion Get of Sire *LOVE'NM SHARK ATTACK *ENNBOBLED All Diemer Goats placed in the top 10 at Nationals.

Kathie and Katie Diemer 21718 W. Ave | Hawkeye, IA 52147 diemersboergoats.com diemersboergoats@gmail.com

Winner’s Circle Sale

13th Annual Winner Circle Boer Goat Sale October 28, 2017 | 12:00 EST Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds | 1300 100 south, Lebanon IN Complementary Lunch before sale. 100+ head being sold.

ABLE ACRES BOER GOATS GARY- 765-366-6000 SANDY-765-714-4551 ableacres@tds.net

NATHAN DUNCAN KIM KIGER Manager-615-957-9163 Kimkiger@yahoo.com

2-M BOER GOATS PAUL & KIM MORGAN PAUL-502-643-5662 pmorgan@hughes.net

aAPRINA ACRES BOER GOATS KIMBERLY LIEFER KIM-541-980-1095 Kimberly@aaprinaacresboergoats.com

CHESTNUT SPRINGS FARM CHAD BROYLES & PATRICK ALIFF 340-589-3972 chestnutspringsfarm.com

ROCKING C BOER GOATS RICHARD & SANDY COOK RICHARD 217-343-9047 rockingcbg@hotmail.com

SOUTHERN COMFORT RANCH DAKOTA ASH Manager- 580-606-2685 E-Mail dakotaash@icloud.com BAB BOER GOATS BAILEY BERGHERM 812-870-0924 bailey@babboergoats.com

JCKN BOER GOATS JASON & HEATHER COIN 970-371-6488 jcknboergoats@yahoo.com

WESTFALL BOER GOATS CINDY PRICE WESTFALL 937-215-4143 cindy_price_westfall@yahoo.com

HILLTOP BOER GOATS RICK & MISTY ALLEN 217-493-6729 hilltopboergoatfarm.com

SAKB BOER GOATS KEN & SYDNEY BATY 970-685-1745 sakbboergoats.com

WMC BOER GOATS WAYNE & MARY 765-924-4386 marycrider@att.net JABGA NATIONAL GRAND CHAMPION BUCK

ABGA NATIONAL RES GRAND CHAMPION BUCK CBA WAR GAMES Now Standing Live Coverage Semen Available

Gary & Chelia Demmitt Clint Demmitt Bridgeport, Texas Gary: 940-389-3298

Semen stored at REI in Stillwater, OK Straws: $150 Collecting in Fall 2017