Relationships among body condition score, body weights and measurements of Nellore (Brown) sheep

To assess the relationships among body condition score (BCS) and body weight and measurements of Nellore (Brown) sheep, astudy was carried out at the Sheep UnitofInstructional Livestock Farm Complex, NTR College of Veterinary Science, Gannavaram and sheep flocks of farmers in and around Gannavaram. Atotal of 100 ewes (2 to 6 years-old) were assigned the BCS and the mean BCS of the test flock was 2.78±0.06. Atotal of 56 ewes were in the age group of 2–3 years with a mean BCS of 2.52±0.06. A total of 44 ewes were in the age group of 3–6 years with a mean BCS of 3.12±0.84. Pin-shoulder length, height at withers, chest girth, abdominal girth, thigh circumference and body weight differed significantly (P<0.01) between the two BCS groups of ewes. BCS was significantly (P<0.01) and positively correlated with all physical measurements except thigh circumference. The mean BCS and physical measurements of ewes of age group of >3 years were significantly (P<0.01) higher compared to the ewes of the age group of <3 years. The live weights of ewes changed from 6.89 to 7.78 kg per unit change in BCS. The present study suggested that BCS canbeaneffective indicatorofdegreeoffitnessofewes.