Abstract
Weight (WT), hip height (HT) and heart girth (HG) were measured on 211 Hereford and 229 crossbred cows. Body condition scores were assigned based on palpation over the ribs and backbone (SP) and on visual observation (SV). Correlations among WT, HT and HG were all positive (P<.01) and greater than .54 within both Herefords and crossbreds. Palpated score and SV were both correlated positively (P<.01) with both WT and HG in Herefords and crossbreds. Palpated score and SV were correlated (P<.01) with HT (.33 and .40, respectively) in Herefords but not (P>.05) in crossbreds (−.01 and .14). Palpated score was correlated .71 with SV in Herefords and .78 in crossbreds (both P<.01). No evidence of a nonlinear relationship between SP and SV was found. No differences were noted in relation to WT, HT and HG between the SP and SV methods of assigning condition scores. A method of assigning nutritive condition suggested by Brody (1945) was correlated (P<.01) .43 with SP and .49 with SV in the Herefords and .48 with SP and .62 with SV in the crossbreds. The WT:HT ratio was correlated (P<.01) to SP and SV, although the form of the relationship was not consistent. A parabola described the data better (P<.01) than a straight line for SP in both Herefords and crossbreds and for SV in crossbreds, but a straight line was the better (P<.01) description for SV in Herefords and when fit over subsets of relatively lower or higher conditioned crossbred cows. Copyright © 1985. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1985 by American Society of Animal Science