Sheep body condition scoring (BCS) has been added to handling system demonstrations at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) this year to emphasize the importance of the practice.
Delma Kennedy, sheep specialist genetics and reproduction with OMAFRA, will be leading the demonstration for farmers at the Ontario Sheep Farmers’ exhibit during the three-day show in September.
Why it matters: Farmers use BCS to better understand the health and status of their flock at pre-breeding, breeding, and weaning to ensure upmost health of both ewe and lamb before, during and after pregnancy.
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Although sheep BCS is not a new concept to sheep producers the addition of the demonstration at the COFS provides an opportunity to catch the interest of those producers who have been in the industry for a long time.
Kennedy finds the BCS workshops put on by Ontario Sheep and OMAFRA throughout the year are commonly attended by new, not experienced producers.
“It’s much harder for us to reach those producers who have been in the industry longer because they think ‘I’ve got this,'” says Kennedy. “At COFS we hope experienced producers think about ‘am I really catching all the value out of what I’m doing for BCS? Is there something I can change or do better?'”
Understanding body condition score has been shown to have effects across a sheep farm, Kennedy says.
“BCS at breeding actually affects (more) than just conception rates, it also affects birth weight, weaning weight and ewe mortality.”
With new information producers are advised to think differently. What do the ewes look like at weaning and how are farmers going to ensure ewes are close to optimum BCS by the time they are ready to breed again?
The demonstrations at COFS won’t be as in-depth as the workshops, but the BCS models that OMAFRA has obtained from Australia will be available for producers to get some hands-on work.
“Hopefully (this will) give them an idea of what they are going to feel when they go home. Most people have a good idea of what BCS is but it’s a lot different when you start putting your hands on the sheep,” says Kennedy.
Farmers only doing BCS within their flock leads to a standard amongst their ewes. Viewing it in other ewes outside their operation gives them an idea of where their standard is rated.
“When you have your own sheep, and you feel and touch your own sheep — are they really a condition score of three or not becomes the question. You’re not seeing a standard anywhere.”
Kennedy hopes having the models, the handling system and sheep at COFS will mean the opportunity to better inform producers on the importance, and standards of proper body condition scoring for new and experienced producers.
