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EC 1433April 1994

75¢

Body condition scoring of sheepJ. Thompson and H. Meyer

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Throughout the productioncycle, sheep producersmust know whether or not

their sheep are in condition (toothin, too fat, or just right) for thestage of production: breeding, latepregnancy, and lactation.

Weight at a given stage of produc-tion is the best indicator, but asthere is a wide variation in maturesize between individuals andbreeds, it is extremely difficult touse weight to determine propercondition. Body condition scoringdescribes the condition of a sheep,is convenient, and is much moreaccurate than a simple eye ap-praisal.

A body condition score estimatescondition of muscling and fatdevelopment. Scoring is based onfeeling the level of muscling andfat deposition over and around thevertebrae in the loin region (Fig-ures 1–3). In addition to the centralspinal column, loin vertebrae havea vertical bone protrusion (spinousprocess) and a short horizontalprotrusion on each side (transverse

James M. Thompson, Extension sheepspecialist, and Howard H. Meyer,associate professor of animal sciences;Oregon State University.

Figure 1.—Feel for the spine in thcenter of the sheep’s back, behindits last rib and in front of its hipbone.Muscle

Fat

Spinous process

Figure 2.—Feel for the tips of thetransverse processes.

Transverse process

Figure 3.—Feel for fullness ofmuscle and fat cover.

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process). Both of these protrusionsare felt and used to assess anindividual body condition score.

The system used most widely inthe United States is based on ascale of 1 to 5. The five scores(Figures 4–8) are:

Condition 1 (Emaciated)Spinous processes are sharp andprominent. Loin eye muscle isshallow with no fat cover. Trans-verse processes are sharp; one canpass fingers under ends. It ispossible to feel between eachprocess.

Condition 2 (Thin)Spinous processes are sharp andprominent. Loin eye muscle haslittle fat cover but is full. Trans-verse processes are smooth andslightly rounded. It is possible topass fingers under the ends of thetransverse processes with a littlepressure.

Condition 3 (Average)Spinous processes are smooth androunded and one can feel indi-vidual processes only with pres-sure. Transverse processes aresmooth and well covered, and firmpressure is needed to feel over theends. Loin eye muscle is full withsome fat cover.

Condition 4 (Fat)Spinous processes can be detectedonly with pressure as a hard line.Transverse processes cannot befelt. Loin eye muscle is full with athick fat cover.

No fat cover

Transverse processsharp

Fingers easilypass under

Spine prominent and sharp

Figure 4.—Condition 1

Figure 5.—Condition 2

Spine prominent and smooth

Thin fat cover

Muscles mediumdepth

Fingers go underwith pressure

Transverseprocess rounded

Figure 6.—Condition 3

Spine smooth rounded

Transverseprocesssmoothrounded

Muscles full

Moderate fat cover

Fingers needhard pressureto find ends

Figure 7.—Condition 4

Spine detected only as a line

Fat cover thick

Muscles full

Transverseprocesscannotbe felt

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Condition 5 (Obese)Spinous processes cannot bedetected. There is a depressionbetween fat where spine wouldnormally be felt. Transverseprocesses cannot be detected. Loieye muscle is very full with a verythick fat cover.

The system contains everythingfrom emaciated sheep to those thaare grossly obese due to overfeed-ing or being nonproductive. Inmost typical sheep flocks, over 90percent of the sheep should have abody condition score of 2, 3, or 4.It is recommended that half scoresbe used between 2 and 4, givingthe following scores: 1, 2, 2.5, 3,3.5, 4, and 5.

The intermediate half scores arehelpful when an animal’s conditionis not clear. Keep in mind thatplacing an exact score is not asimportant as being able to assign arelative score. A body conditionscore of 3 versus a 3.5 is not such big deal, but the relative differencebetween a 2.5 and 4 certainly is ofconcern.

Other than practical experience,there is little available researchcomparing condition scores withperformance. The majority of theresearch reported has dealt withthe relationship of body conditionscore at breeding to ovulation rateand subsequent lambing percent-age. Generally, the better the bodycondition score at mating, thehigher the ovulation rate andtherefore the higher the potentiallambing percentage. However,ewes with a condition score greatethan 4 at breeding tend to have ahigher incidence of barrenness.Ewes with a condition score less

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r

than 3 at breeding will be moreresponsive to the effects of flush-ing than those with conditionscores at 3.0–3.5 at mating.

Two research trials conducted byOregon State University found thatewe body condition score atlambing had an effect on totalpounds of lamb weaned per ewe.Ewes with a body condition scoreof 3 to 4 at lambing lost feweroffspring and weaned more poundsof lamb than those with a conditionscore of 2.5 or less.

In one study, ewes with a bodycondition score of 4 at lambing hada total weight of lamb weaned perewe that was 82 percent greaterthan ewes with a body conditionscore of 2.5. The total weightweaned was 113 pounds versus 62pounds per ewe. The increase intotal weaning weight was due toimproved lamb survival andheavier weaning weights.

In the other study, there was a 33percent difference in total weightof lamb weaned (64 versus 85pounds per ewe) between eweswith pre-lambing body conditionscores of 2.5 to 3.5. This increasein pounds of lamb weaned wasprimarily due to improved lambsurvival for offspring from the

ewes with the higher body condi-tion score.

Some suggested (optimum)condition score values for thevarious stages of the productioncycle are:

Production stage Optimum scoreBreeding 3–4Early–Mid Gestation 2.5–4Lambing (singles) 3.0–3.5 (twins) 3.5–4Weaning 2 or higher

The scores suggested above shoulallow for optimum productivity inhighly prolific ewes. On average, adifference of one unit of conditionscore is equivalent to about 13percent of the live weight of a eweat a moderate (3–3.5) body condi-tion score. Thus, a ewe with amaintenance weight of 150 poundswould need to gain approximately20 pounds to go from a bodycondition score of 2.5 to 3.5.

Body condition scoring is asubjective way to evaluate thestatus of a sheep flock—a potentialtool for producers to increaseproduction efficiency in theirflocks.

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tFigure 8.—Condition 5

Transverseprocess notdetectable

Spine not detectable; fatdimple over spine

Fat cover dense

Muscles very full

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For further readingKhan, K., H.H. Meyer and J.M.

Thompson. 1992. Effect of pre-lambing supplementation andewe body condition score onlamb survival and total weightof lamb weaned. ProceedingsWestern Section AmericanSociety of Animal Science43:175.

Russel, A. 1991. Body conditionscoring of sheep. In: E. Boden(Ed.) Sheep and Goat Practice.p 3. Bailliere Tindall, Philadel-phia.

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Extension Service, Oregon State University, Corvallis, O.E. Smith, director. This pubtion was produced and distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 anJune 30, 1914. Extension work is a cooperative program of Oregon State University,U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties.

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