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A note on the usefulness of skinfold thickness v. condition score for estimating body fat content in Boran cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

M. J. Nicholson  and
D. A. Little
M. J. Nicholson
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
D. A. Little
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Abstract

An attempt was made to use anal skinfold thickness as a quantitative measurement to estimate body fatness in Boran cattle (Bos indicus). Using the normal single-operator technique the relationship between skinfold thickness and the other measurements was poor but was greatly improved by using two operators. It nevertheless remained inferior to body condition score, which was very highly correlated with estimated body fat proportion, It was concluded that condition scoringprovides a valuable index of the nutritional status of Bos indicus cattle, and that measurements of anal fold thickness are not applicable to such animals.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 48 , Issue 1 , February 1989 , pp. 234 - 236
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1989

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References

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