The Farm

Body Condition Scoring: Swine

Posted by hsotr on

Body Condition Scoring: SwineThe body condition scoring (BCS) system for swine is very simple and is based on a five-point scale:

  1. Emaciated. Ribs, spine, and backbone prominent.
  2. Thin. Hips and backbone noticeable to the eye. Ribs can easily be felt with only slight pressure.
  3. Normal. Animal’s body is tube-shaped. Hips and backbone can only be felt with firm pressure.
  4. Fat. Bulging body. Hips and backbone cannot be felt at all.
  5. Overfat. Bulbous body due to obvious fat deposits. Hips and backbone thickly covered with fat.

With both boars and sows, the idea is to keep the score around 3 at all times.

In reality, however, sows will probably fluctuate slightly throughout their reproductive cycle. A BCS of 3.25 appears to ideal at breeding time. By farrowing time, the sow should score somewhere around 3.75. She should never drop below 2.5 at the end of a lactation.

 

Helpful Resource

Body Condition Scoring Graphic
This chart uses line drawings to make scoring swine easy to do at a glance.

 

Complete Series

Body Condition ScoringBody Condition Scoring

 

Published by hsotr

Motivated by her experience growing up on a small farm near Wichita, Kansas, Michelle Lindsey started Homestead on the Range to supply Kansas country living enthusiasts with the innovative resources that they need to succeed and has now been keeping families informed and inspired for over five years. Michelle is the author of two country living books. She is also a serious student of history, specializing in Kansas, agriculture, and the American West. When not pursuing hobbies ranging from music to cooking to birdwatching, she can usually be found researching, writing, or living out the country dream.