Tool 10.1

Module Index

Module 1 - planning

Module 2 - wool

Module 3 - meat

Module 4 - people

Module 5 - NRM

Module 6 - soil

Module 7 - pasture

Module 8 - grazing

Module 9 - genetics

Module 10 - more lambs

Module 11 - sheep health

Hot Topics

MODULE 10: Wean More Lambs

Index

Condition scoring is a process to assess the body reserves of a mature sheep. Condition scoring measures the tissue cover (fat and muscle) over the loin area. The animal is best examined in a race when it is standing and relaxed.

Condition scoring can be used to assess the average condition score of a mob or sometimes it is used to draft individual sheep in a mob so they can be managed in specific nutritional groups. About 25 to 50 sheep scored at random (from the middle of the mob) provides an accurate indication of the mob’s nutritional status.

Condition score is a useful tool for understanding the nutritional status of sheep because it more directly reflects the underlying changes in muscle and fat as the animal’s nutritional status changes.

Condition score (CS) is used across Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia to manage the nutritional status of adult breeding sheep. In New South Wales, fat score (FS) has also been adapted to assess the nutritional status of adult sheep, particularly in relation to flock reproduction targets. Fat scoring is described in tool 3.3 in Market Focused Lamb and Sheepmeat Production.

How to condition score

Source: the Lifetime Wool project (www.lifetimewool.com.au)

	Condition Scoring The animal should be standing in a relaxed position. It should not be tense, crushed by other animals or held in a crush. If the animal is tense it is not possible to feel the short ribs and get an accurate condition score
Condition Score 1	Score 1-Backbone The bones form an elevated narrow ridge. Each vertebral process can be felt easily as a bone under the skin. There is only a very small eye muscle. The sheep is strong but quite thin (virtually unsaleable)	Score 1-Short Ribs The ends of the short ribs are very obvious. It is easy to feel the squarish shape of the ends. Using fingers spread 1cm apart, it feels like the fingernail under the skin with practically no covering
Condition Score 2	Score 2-Backbone The vertebral processes are elevated but the points are rounded with muscle. It is easy to press between each bone. There is a reasonable eye muscle (store condition ideal for wethers and lean meat).	Score 2-Short Ribs The ends of the short ribs are rounded but it is easy to press between them. Using fingers spread 0.5cm apart, the ends feel rounded like finger ends. They are covered with flesh but it is easy to press under and between them.
Condition Score 3	Score 3-Backbone The spinal processes are only slightly elevated above a full eye muscle. It is possible to feel each rounded bone but not to press between them. (Forward store condition ideal for most lamb markets now. No excess fat).	Score 3-Short Ribs The ends of short ribs are well rounded and filled in with muscle. Using 4 fingers pressed tightly together, it is possible to feel the rounded ends but not between them. They are well covered and filled in with muscle.
Condition Score 4	Score 4-Backbone It is possible to feel most spinal processes with pressure. The back bone is a smooth slightly raised ridge above full eye muscles and the skin floats over it.	Score 4-Short Ribs It is only possible to feel or sense one or two short ribs and only possible to press under them with difficulty. It feels like the side of the palm, where maybe one end can just be sensed.
Condition Score 5	Score 5-Backbone The spine may only be felt (if at all) by pressing down firmly between the fat covered eye muscles. A bustle of fat may appear over the tail (wasteful and uneconomic).	Score 5-Short Ribs It is virtually impossible to feel under the ends as the triangle formed by the long ribs and hip bone is filled with meat and fat. The short rib ends cannot be felt.

Note: One condition score is equivalent to 16% of the standard reference weight for a sheep. The table below summarises the weight of one condition score for different sized sheep.

Standard weight	40kg	50kg	60kg	70kg
One condition score	6.4kg	8kg	9.6kg	11.2kg

Condition score recording sheet

Source: Lifetime Wool Project

Recording the condition score
Randomly score 25-50 sheep from the middle of the mob. Record the condition score of each sheep with an X on the chart. The middle score of the distribution is close to the average. In this example with 25 sheep, the median value is 3.0 but by using the chart you can see the average is just less than 3.0.

Condition Score




				X
				X
			X	X
			X	X	X
			X	X	X
		X	X	X	X
	X	X	X	X	X
	X	X	X	X	X	X
1.0	1.5.	2.0	2.5	3.0	3.5	4.0	4.5	5.0

Download the Condition Score Recording Sheet (52KB).