Mastering ewe body condition scoring to maximise returns

By Laura McQuillan-Reese

The original version of this piece was published in Country-Wide magazine in August 2022

Improving uniformity in the ewe flock and aiming for a BCS of 3.0 at lambing has a direct impact on the bottom line of your farm business. So how do you master your ewe body condition scoring to maximise returns?

The relative profitability of sheep breeding enterprises is largely determined by kilograms of lamb sold per hectare. Lambing percentage and average lamb weaning weight are two of the most important factors determining this outcome.

A key driver influencing these two factors is the body condition score of the ewe. More specifically, it’s the percentage of ewes at or above a body condition score of 3.0 at mating and lambing.

Body condition scoring

Body condition scoring is an important method of measuring the muscle and fat reserves of ewes. This gives you an indication of condition regardless of frame size. In preparation for lambing, ewes should have substantial reserves available as they move into the demanding phase of peak lactation.

Throughout mating and early pregnancy, a BCS of 3.0 is ideal, and no greater than 3.5 at lambing.

Mating and scanning

There are key benefits in measuring ewe body condition score at scanning. Lighter ewes bearing multiples can be identified and preferentially fed to minimise the risk of lamb losses.

Once lighter ewes are identified at scanning, there is an opportunity to improve body condition scores up to five weeks before lambing. Within that tight turn-around, the goal is to protect muscle and fat reserves and minimize losses of body condition score.

NOTE: Ewe BCS at scanning should be set up by good management from weaning the year before.

Ewe body condition score at lambing

It is expected that ewes will drop to a BCS of 2.5 by weaning. This change in BCS from lambing to weaning is an indicator of maternal success in the flock.

Don’t cull a ewe at the end of lambing because she is just ‘a bit skinny’. A ewe that drops body condition score in this period is likely to have reared lambs with a higher weaning weight than a ewe that has maintained condition throughout lactation. These lighter ewes will have grown healthy, heavier lambs because they partitioned more of their energy reserves into producing milk for the lambs, rather than storing it themselves.

NOTE: Feeding over winter and early lactation determines if the ewes can be put into a position to be able to do that.

The numbers stack up

We compared the breeding performance of an average flock BCS of 2.0 vs 3.0 at lambing.

Achieving an average BCS of 3.0 at lambing was 16% more profitable than having ewes averaging 2.0. This is because ewes in better condition at lambing wean more lambs as well as higher weaning weights per lamb. For a list of key assumptions and comparative data, check out the full Country-Wide article.

Ewe body condition score drives productivity across all facets of the sheep breeding operation, from fecundity at tupping to the ability to provide sufficient milk throughout lactation. BCS also improves farm management, giving farmers the information needed to manage the lighter ewes in the mob, minimising tail enders.

Post weaning is your window

While feed is in good supply, consider the benefits from improving 50% of the ewe flock’s body condition score by one point and maintaining that throughout the course of the year. Post weaning is the best opportunity to make these gains.

Once weaned, ewes can be separated according to body condition score. Ewes that have put more into their lambs can be given priority feeding to help them recover for the next round of mating. Ewes already possessing an ideal BCS can be ration fed. This approach improves the efficiency of feed utilisation while lifting the overall BCS of the herd.

Increasing BCS during the post weaning period and before mating is the best way to increase number of lambs born, number of lambs weaned, and total lamb weaned weight.

Key points

  • BCS gives you a more accurate assessment of the ewe’s condition, regardless of frame.
  • Measuring at key moments such as mating, scanning, lambing and weaning, gives you the best opportunity to influence flock production.
  • Improving uniformity in the ewe flock and aiming for a BCS of 3.0 at lambing has a direct impact on the bottom line.
  • BCS improves feed-use efficiency and feed budgeting by enabling you to isolate ewes that require priority feeding and ration feed for ewes that are already at an ideal BCS.
  • BCS is easy to learn and requires minimal time and labour investment to achieve good results.

If you want to have a crack at body condition scoring, there are a number of resources to assist your training. Next time you’re in the yards, try running your hands over the ewes in the race and see if you can get a feel for the different body condition scores. Think about cover over the ewe’s hip bones and ribs and try to identify lighter and heavier conditioned ewes.

Contacting your local vet or accessing online tools are good starting points to incorporate body condition scoring into your farm business.



Lee Matheson

Tumuaki Whakahaere
Kaiwhakahaere Matua

B.Appl.Sc (Hons), FNZIPIM (Reg)

Nā tana whakapakeketanga i Pōneke i haere mai ai a Lee ki tana mahi nei. He Tāhū Paetahi Pūtaiao Otaota, ā, he mātanga hoki a Lee ki te tāhua mākete. Nā tana tūranga Pouwhakahaere e kore e kaha a Lee ki te puta ki ngā pāmu, heoi anō ki te puta atu ia ki waho, ka hākoakoa katoa ngā koko o tōna ngākau. He ahakoa kai te tari e mahi ana a Lee ināianei, kai konei tonu ia e kaha ana ki te tohutohu ki te arahi ki te tuku i ana matauranga rautaki a pāmu , ona whakaaro auaha, ana matauranga a Kāwanatanga, te mātai whakangao me te rangahau ohaoha ki ngā taringa pakiki.

A waho atu i a Perrin Ag, he tangata aroha ki te whakaako whutupōro, te mātakitaki i ana tokotoru e pakeke tupu ana me te ngaki māra tahi me tana hoa rangatira a Haidee.

"E aroha ana ahau ki te whakamana i ngā tāngata i o mātau wāhanga tuatahi me te ngahau o te kite i ngā kiritaki e tutuki ana i a rātau hiahiatanga. Mēnā ka taea e tātau te whakahauhau i nga kaiahuwhenua kia whakauru ki o rātau kiritaki, kia nui ake te whakauru hohe ki a rātau mekameka putanga me te tirotiro i a rātau umanga mā tētahi arotahi whānui ake, kātahi ka whakaaro ahau he nui ake te wā e heke mai ana a tātau mahi."

Abbey Dowd

Kaiwhakahaere

B.Ag.Sc (Hons), MNZIPIM

I uru a Abbey ki Perrin Ag i te wā o Hui 2023 hei wāhanga o te hōtaka tono mātauranga o te umanga, o Empower.

I tipu ake a Abbey e karapotitia ana e nga pāmu miraka kau i roto i tētahi iwi tata i Waikato ki te Tonga. I kite a ia i te tuatahi me pēhea te tautoko a nga kaiahuwhenua o te rohe i tōna iwi, koia ia i whakaawe ai i a ia ki te ako i te Whare Wānanga o Lincoln.

I nga wā katoa e mīharo ana te tipu ake i roto i tētahi iwi ā-taiwhenua o Abbey i nga wā katoa e hia nga kaiahuwhenua o te rohe e āwhina ana ki te iwi. I pīrangi a ia ki te āwhina ki te whakahoki ki te umanga me te tākaro i tētahi wāhanga ki te āwhina i to mātau wāhanga tuatahi kia whakaputa tonu i te kai kounga i runga i te āhua mārō.

I te tau 2022, i pau i a Abbey te raumati hai takawaenga i runga i tētahi o nga mahi miraka tauhokohoko tuatahi a Aotearoa. Ko tana kaupapa Honours e rangahau ana i te miraka deer i te taha o ētahi atu mahi miraka tūturu ake, me te arotake i ngā āheinga whakanao o te umanga miraka.

"I te tipu ake kaore ahau i noho i runga pāmu, engari i mōhio tonu ahau e hiahia ana ahau ki te mahi i te wāhanga pāmu. I pīrangi ahau ki tētahi tūranga i reira he toenga i waenganui i te mahi me te pāmu, ā, ka taea e au te tautoko i nga kaiahuwhenua kia whiwhi ai i te pai rawa atu i a rātau umanga."

Sam Gray

Kaiwhakahaere

I tipu ake a Sam i runga i te pāmu miraka kau i te Raki Tawhiti. I muri iho i tana whiwhinga mai i te Whare Wānanga o Otago i te tau 2005 me tētahi tohu Honours i roto i te hangarau hangarau rāpoi ngota, he maha nga tau e mahi ana a ia i roto i te rangahau rongoā i Aotearoa me Pākehā. I a ia e hoki ana ki Aotearoa i te tau 2012, e whā nga wā i pau ai i a ia te pāmu miraka kau i Te Whenua o Raki i mua i tana hokonga i tētahi paraka 56 ha i Taupо, i reira ia i kitea tuatahitia ai ki te pāmu i raro i te pū hauota. I uru a Sam ki Perrin Ag i te tau 2023, ā, ka mauria mai ōna pūkenga kaha e whakatūria ana e tētahi huarahi hāngai ki te whakaoti raruraru. I waho o te mahi pāmu me te tohutohu, tērā pea ka kitea e koe e rere ana a ia i te hī ika, te whaiwhai, te papa huka rānei.

"He tokomaha nga kaiahuwhenua e rongo ana i te uaua i mua i te huringa tere o te whenua mana. E tautohe ana ahau ki te āwhina i nga kaiahuwhenua kia mārama he aha te tikanga o ēnei ture taiao mo a rātau umanga, me te tuku rongoā māia e āhei ai rātau ki te mahi tonu i ā rātou mahi tino pai, i a rātau e noho tautuku tonu ana".

Danni Armstrong

Kaiwhakahaere pūtea

Pakeketia a Danni i te pāmu kau i Atiamuri ka noho hoki mō te rima tau hai pou hāpai kūtētē kau. He ahakoa tana mahi pāmu ehara i te mea ka noho motuhake ki tēnei mahi, ka aro atu hoki ki te rīhi motukā, ki te hauora me te mahi moana. He kaha tana aronga ki ngā take whakahaere me te tiaki moni, mātua ko te manaaki me te atawhai i ngā tini manuhiri ka whakatata mai, ka rua ko te tiaki i te taha ki te ao hangarau pēnā me ngā whārangi pāpāoho ki te ao hou ko te whakahaere tuku motukā, ā, tae rawa ki ngā kaupapa ako, te whakarite rōhi -a-mahi, H&S me te whakatika hapa. I whakapiri mai a Danni ki a Ag i te marama o Mei 2021, he ahakoa he tauhou he mātanga ki tōna ao pākihi koi i tāhuri mai ia ki tēnei whānau.

He wahine pānui pukapuka me ōna ngeru, he wahine takahi whenua haere ngāhere.

“I runga i ngā tini kaupapa whakawetewete, ara ake ai ahau ia rā ia rā – kāre i tua atu i te whakamutunga o aku mahi tatau kia ea ai– e whai tūranga mana ai taku tu ngātahi me tēnei tīma”.

Duncan Walker

Tumuaki
Kaiwhakahaere Matua

B.Appl.Sc, MNZIPIM (Reg)

I te haerenga mai i tētahi papamuri pāmu maroke me te miraka kau, i nga wā katoa e hiahia ana a Duncan ki te tipu i nga umanga o te wāhanga tuatahi. Ahakoa he pāmu tawhito, he ngahere, he pūtea penapena rānei i waho o te kēti pāmu, ko te mahinga pakihi tūturu ko te hiahia o Duncan. I muri i te mākatanga mai i te Whare Wānanga o Massey me tētahi Bachelor of Applied Science i Agribusiness, ko te wā tuatahi o Duncan ki te arotau i tētahi umanga pāmu mā te mahi i tētahi tahuringa miraka kau. Na te kaupapa Duncan i whakahaere te tahuringa, a, ka haere tonu te whakahaere i te pāmu miraka kau mo te toru tau anō.

Mai i te hononga atu ki Perrin Ag i te tau 2011 ka mahi a Duncan me te whānui o ngā kiritaki tae atu ki ērā 'i waho o te kēti pāmu'. Mā tōna papamuri kaha i roto i te tātari pūtea penapena, te rautaki pakihi me te whakahaere kaupapa, kei te nui haere te mahi a Duncan me ngā kiritaki ki te tātari me te whakauru i ngā pūtea whenua me ngā pūtea rākau ki roto i ā rātou umanga pāmu.

“Ko te hāpai o ōku hoa me te arataki i a rātou me ngā kōpikopikonga huhua o te ao hou taku oranga ngakau. Kia tū rangatira ai rātou, he aha i tua atu!”

Lee Matheson

Tumuaki Whakahaere
Kaiwhakahaere Matua

B.Appl.Sc (Hons), FNZIPIM (Reg)

Nā tana whakapakeketanga i Pōneke i haere mai ai a Lee ki tana mahi nei. He Tāhū Paetahi Pūtaiao Otaota, ā, he mātanga hoki a Lee ki te tāhua mākete. Nā tana tūranga Pouwhakahaere e kore e kaha a Lee ki te puta ki ngā pāmu, heoi anō ki te puta atu ia ki waho, ka hākoakoa katoa ngā koko o tōna ngākau. He ahakoa kai te tari e mahi ana a Lee ināianei, kai konei tonu ia e kaha ana ki te tohutohu ki te arahi ki te tuku i ana matauranga rautaki a pāmu , ona whakaaro auaha, ana matauranga a Kāwanatanga, te mātai whakangao me te rangahau ohaoha ki ngā taringa pakiki.

A waho atu i a Perrin Ag, he tangata aroha ki te whakaako whutupōro, te mātakitaki i ana tokotoru e pakeke tupu ana me te ngaki māra tahi me tana hoa rangatira a Haidee.

“Kai reira kē te ihi o taku mahi, ko te whakarangatira i ngā tangata mahi tahi pēnei i a tatou me te whakaputanga o ngā apataki ki te ao marama i runga i ngā whakatutukitanga a wō rātou tumanako-ā-ngākau. Mēnā tatou e tāea ki te whakaakiaki i ngā tangata pāmū ki te hono ki wō rātou kiritaki, me te ū a ringa raupā nei ki te ara whakaputa, me te titiro whānui ki tā rātou pākihi , ka harikoa katoa ahau i te mōhiotanga he ao ki tua mō tēnei tūmomo mahi”.