MAXIMIZING HERD PERFORMANCE: LEVERAGING BODY CONDITION SCORING FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT.

This document highlights the significance of Body Condition Score (BCS) as a crucial tool for assessing the energy reserves and health of cattle in India's dairy industry, with a specific focus on its application to dairy cows. The BCS is pivotal for guiding feeding strategies, optimizing reproductive performance, and enhancing milk production. The document elaborates on the checkpoints and criteria used for BCS assessment, emphasizing its advantages over other assessment techniques. Additionally, it delves into the optimal BCS ranges for different stages of cows and heifers, illustrating the critical role that BCS plays in cattle health and reproduction. The paper underlines the importance of BCS as a nutritional management tool and discusses the normal changes in desired BCS throughout a production cycle. Finally, the review touches upon management factors that influence BCS and concludes by emphasizing the potential benefits of integrating BCS into dairy herd management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]