how to tell if a dairy-breed calf is in good body condition?

[cathleenc]

I'm new to cows... have our first ever bull calf in the barn. He's 4 weeks old, 3/4 jersey & 1/4 holstein.

What do I look for to tell if he's at a good weight?

I worry all the time that he's too skinny - yet know that dairy breeds are always leaner than meat breeds.

thanks!
Cathy

[tyusclan]

As long as the eyes are clear and bright, the nose is moist and cool, and the coat is shiny he's fine. A little hip bone showing is fine, but you don't want to see ribs.

[Jennifer L.]

My mother (the calf raiser) always said a calf with a "hair skirt" was a really good looking calf. What she meant was a good growing calf had a little flair of hair all around the bottom of the belly---like if a calf's body was a loaf of bread sitting on the counter, there would be a little ruffle of hair where the bread meets the counter on both sides. I know that's not a good description, but if you see a calf with it you'll know what I mean.


ETA: Page down on this NZ link to a Jersey calf. You can kind of see what I mean on this one.

http://takaninifeeds.co.nz/products.html

Jennifer

[frazzlehead]

Do you know how to test the condition score on a sheep? You push on the spine where it meets the pelvis, just above the tail, and feel for how much skin and fat there is between the surface and the bones. You want it to feel about like a healthy human's forearm, if you were feeling the bones through the thicker part of the muscle, or so I was shown. It's kind of hard to explain but that's the general idea - if it's too poky, like it feels sharp, they need more, if you can't even feel the bones, they are too fat, and if you can feel the bones but they have a nice cushion, that's perfect.

I just recently got a Dexter, and wasn't at all sure how to tell what condition she was in. Our 4H beef leader showed me how to test the same way I do on a sheep, but on the short ribs on the cow's side. If you can feel the tips of those bones as sharp, they need more feed ... if you can't feel 'em at all, they are too fat, and if they are just nicely defined, then you're good.

Perhaps if you look up condition scoring you'll find some better explanations than my poor attempts.