Development of body condition scores in the Philippine-bred dairy cattle
2001
Marcial, D.B.II | Matias, J.M.
In recent years, a large number of Holstein x Sahiwal crossbred cows have been introduced in the Philippines, as part of the dairy development efforts to set-up nucleus dairy cooperatives and a viable dairy industry. In such dairy production systems, a rigid selection and culling is an effective management tool for herd improvement, and this skill is a must for dairy farmer. The score card of body condition is a reference to enable accurate and objective judgement of the physical attributes of the animal. This paper presents body condition scores for locally born Holstein-Friesian and crossbred Holstein x Sahiwal cows that could be utilized by local dairy farmers. Body condition scoring is necessary to know the health status of an individual cow of the whole herd, the appropriate feeding level in relation to the present production and to plan future feeding strategies and management systems. The ultimate goal is to achieve optimum body condition for significant cow production and health
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