Erarbeitung eines Schemas zur Beurteilung der Körperkondition von Kälbern der Rassen Deutsches Fleckvieh und Holstein Friesian

The purpose of this work was to determine the suitability of the
scoring (BCS) system according to EDMONSON et al. (1989) for
judging body condition of calves by palpation. A total of 307
calves of the breeds German Simmental (Deutsches Fleckvieh) and
Holstein-Friesian were examined once at the Clinic for Ruminants
(Chair for Internal Medicine and Surgery) of the
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU), at the experimental
farm of that university, or on farms served by the veterinary
practice of Dr. med. vet. M. Hof in Bad Wörishofen. An additional,
ninth criterion was added to the original system. Furthermore, the
components of this system were compared with those of two recently
developed "gold standards". The precision and accuracy of the
modified system was also tested by comparing the results of
examinations of 30 calves by eleven different observers. The
modified system was found to be suitable for describing calves'
body condition. In comparison with the two gold standards, the
system gave better results for the German Simmental calves than for
the Holstein-Friesian ones. The questions thus arise as to whether
the system is less well suited for the latter breed and should be
modified, or whether the newly developed gold standards cannot
adequately reflect the body condition of calves. A thorough
investigation of these questions is necessary. It would be possible
to evaluate the BCS system for example by determining the total
body fat and total muscle mass. Calves must be examined by
palpation only; this is necessary both because the features of the
coat negatively affect the results of visual examination and
because the bone processes are not particularly well defined in
calves. No additional information is provided either by evaluation
of BCS 5 (tuber coxae [hooks] and tuber ischii [pins]) or of BCS 8
(tailhead to pins), since scores for these sites show little
variation and also do not correspond well to the other BCS areas.
Furthermore, it can be difficult to explain how to locate and
evaluate these two areas. In contrast, the newly incorporated
costal area (BCS 9) integrates well into the existing system and
provides additional information. Therefore a system based on a
modification of the system of EDMONSON et al. (1989) is proposed.
In this modified system, the degree of precision is very good at
both the individual (r = 0.97) and the interindividual (r = 0.87)
levels, as is the accuracy. The high quality of the results is a
reflection of the ease and simplicity of application of this
system. Nevertheless inexperienced examiners must be trained before
applying it. The modified system used here is therefore suitable
for calves, although it could be improved in regard to calves of
the Holstein-Friesian breed. The lack of a recognised gold standard
is also unsatisfactory, as this makes evaluation of the system more
difficult.