There are two pieces of information on our website that may assist you with this exercise.
The first is a link to the Victoria DPI website found under the Cattle Care Tab which gives some very detailed information on assessing condition.
Cattle Care | Australian Miniature Hereford Breeders Network (amhbn.com)
The second is found under the Members Tab and is the Miniature Hereford Handout.
Miniature Hereford Handout | Australian Miniature Hereford Breeders Network (amhbn.com)
Below are a series of photos of different cattle with the comments from the meeting. It is difficult if you are not able to touch the animal but this is at best a bit of fun. I have cropped the photos to get the best shot of the cow, all except cow one because just look at that view!
This 5 year old cow is approximatly 7 months pregnant and is on very good feed. Looking at the rolls around her neck and her rump she is approaching a 5.
This Bull (on the left) and cow were on an overstocked property during drought conditions and were in very poor condition. Both were given a score of 1.
This is the same cow as above a little later in much better condition, a 4, with a calf at foot showing that good nutrition can bring a poor condition cow back to good health.
This is a classic sized animal who arrived in poor condition and then gave birth to healthy twins. She was assessed as being a score 1.
This is a 2 year old heifer who lost her 7 month old foetus 2 months before this photograph was taken. She will be going to the bull again in August and the breeder is doing their best to not let her get too fat. She was given a condition score of 3.
Thank you to everyone who sent in photographs. It is important to be able to monitor the condition of your cattle as any sudden drop in condition would be of concern and should be addressed. It is also important to not let your girls put on too much condition, esspecially in the 2 months prior to calving, to help prevent calving issues.
Australian Miniature Hereford Breeders Network 