Interrelationships of Body Condition Score with Rumen Fill in Anatolian Buffalo Herds

Abstract

The objective of this study was to reveal the associations between body condition score (BCS) and rumen fill scores (RFS) in buffaloes. In total, 66 Anatolian buffaloes reared in four farms of the Middle Black Sea region of Turkey were scored subjectively by two parameters. BCS and RFS data were obtained using a 1 to 5 scale and a 1 to 4 scale, respectively, where lower points indicate thin body condition or relatively empty rumen. Animals were examined in two subgroups by parity (1= lactation number 1 and 2; and 2= lactation number >= 3) and stage of lactation (1=<= 121 d, and 2= >= 122 d). While both BCS and RFS were not affected by non-genetic factors (farm, parity and stage of lactation), moderate correlation coefficient (r=0.536) was calculated between two traits. Routinely recording productive traits and rechecking feeding management for elevating RFS in the farms may be suggested in the investigated farms.