I've been working with sheep farmers across Australia and New Zealand for over 25 years, and if I had a dollar for every time I've heard of someone condition scoring from the ute window or while drafting sheep at the gate, I'd probably own a decent chunk of pastoral country by now. The reality is that condition scoring remains one of the most under-utilised tools in sheep management, despite being arguably the most important predictor of reproductive performance and overall flock profitability. I know I sound like a broken record talking about this, but there's a reason I keep coming back to condition scoring. The economic impact is so significant, yet the uptake remains frustratingly low.

The economics of energy storage

Before we dive into the technical aspects, let's talk about what condition score actually represents. At its core, condition scoring is measuring the energy reserves your sheep are carrying. Think of it as the fuel gauge for your flock's engine room. Just as you wouldn't drive your ute without checking the fuel gauge, you shouldn't be managing breeding ewes without knowing their energy status.

The economic sweet spot for most sheep operations sits around condition score 3. This isn't some arbitrary number dreamt up by academics - it's the result of decades of research and economic modelling by some of the best in the business. It does shift subtly between different enterprises and years, but if you had your ewes consistently hitting the milestone dates at condition score 3, you'd have a pretty good system. At condition score 3, ewes have sufficient energy reserves to conceive reliably, carry and deliver healthy lambs, and maintain milk production without compromising their ability to rebreed. It's also a level where you can run a sufficient stocking rate to be profitable.

Another interesting angle that we've spent a lot of time thinking about, and a fair amount talking about, is that the ability to maintain condition score is highly heritable. Some sheep are simply better at gaining and maintaining condition. For many years, our proxy selection criteria for condition score were fat and muscle breeding values, but in the last few years we've had the condition score breeding values that are a step better again. I've written about this before and will do again, so I'll leave that topic for now.

Start out scoring to half scores

We've seen a few in the industry advocate for condition scoring to whole scores. This is completely missing the point. A much more practical starting point is condition scoring to half scores: 2, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and so on. This immediately doubles your precision and dramatically improves your management decisions. Most farmers can learn to reliably distinguish between half scores with just a bit of practice, and the management benefits are immediate.

Scoring to half scores allows you to differentiate between a mob that is just a bit better than condition score 2, compared with one that is just a bit under condition score 3. These two theoretical mobs have vastly different needs, but scoring to whole scores makes it difficult to differentiate between them.

Moving to quarter-score precision

Once you're comfortable with half-score accuracy and have developed a consistent technique, the next step is moving to quarter scores. This is where condition scoring becomes a true precision management tool. In the critical zone between condition scores 2.5 and 3.5, quarter-score differences represent meaningful changes in energy reserves that directly impact reproductive performance and feed requirements.

The difference between a condition score of 2.75 and 3.0 might seem minimal, but these subtle differences can help you determine whether ewes are gaining condition or losing it and allow you to make timely decisions about when to intervene with changes in nutrition. Some of you will be reading this thinking that this is taking the whole thing too far, but I guarantee that once you've done a lot of condition scoring, you'll reliably be able to identify quarter scores and will get good at adjusting management accordingly.

Getting your technique right

The foundation of accurate condition scoring lies in consistent technique. Your scoring technique should be methodical and repeatable. Start with your fingertips on the spine, move through the loin area, and finish at the short rib ends. The key is developing a systematic approach that you can replicate every time.

In the critical zone between 2.5 and 3.5, focus on three key areas:

• The spine: should progress from individually distinguishable vertebrae at 2.5 to a smooth, continuous ridge at 3.5
• The loin area: moves from two-thirds full at 2.5 to being completely filled and slightly convex at 3.5 
• The ends of the short ribs: transition from feeling like clenched knuckles at 2.5 to being difficult to distinguish individually at 3.5

It's these three areas that you are consistently assessing, weighing up their cover, so you can assign a final condition score. It's tempting to just assess the ends of the short ribs, but I find the fill through the loin both easier and more consistent to assess. All three areas need to be assessed to get a good feel of the actual condition score of a ewe.

The reproductive and health connection

Ewe condition score is the greatest driver of reproductive success. From a ewe getting pregnant, to the number of lambs she conceives, through to lamb birth weight and lamb survival, condition score is the best gauge we have of the likely outcome. Accurately managing a ewe's condition score in line with her needs is closely linked to both her reproductive success and her individual contribution to profitability.

Beyond the benefits in reproduction, managing ewe condition score has a multitude of other benefits. Sheep that are sitting at an optimum condition score of 3 have their immune system running well. They are well-placed to fend off worms and other diseases, and we see a significant reduction in health problems and ewe deaths in flocks that are managed to optimum condition score profiles.

The stocking rate balance

Often, when we start talking about condition scoring sheep, people think it's all about making sheep fatter by allocating them more feed, and sometimes this is the case. However, it's often more about allocating the feed to the ones that need it most, so that the mob average condition may not change, but the skinnier ewes that are pregnant with twins get allocated more feed than fat ewes carrying a single lamb, for example. 

There are also plenty of examples where the outcome of consistent condition scoring is to increase the stocking rate because the ewes have spent most of the year above the economic optimum. Stocking rate remains a big driver of profitability. Consistent condition scoring will allow you to accurately determine where your optimum stocking rate sits, in order to optimise productivity and maximise profitability.

Why I keep repeating myself

So why do I keep banging on about condition scoring like a broken record? The gap between what we know and what we do in this industry remains enormous. We've had the science sorted for decades. We know that condition score is the single best predictor of reproductive performance. We know it drives ewe health. We know it's highly heritable. We know that precision in measurement translates directly to economic returns. 

Yet, I still visit properties where condition scoring is treated as an optional extra rather than an essential management tool. I still see feeding programs based on gut feel rather than objective measurement. I still hear farmers complain about poor reproductive performance while doing almost nothing to effect a change. 

The frustrating part is that condition scoring isn't rocket science. It's a skill that any farmer can learn with a bit of practice. The equipment required is minimal; most people were quite literally born with two condition scoring units. The economic returns are immediate and substantial. Yet adoption remains patchy at best.

Measuring to manage

The old saying, ‘If you can't measure it, you can't manage it,’ applies perfectly to condition scoring. Implementing accurate condition scoring requires discipline and consistency, but the economic stakes are too high, and the benefits too substantial, to let this slide. Every farmer who continues to manage breeding ewes without accurate condition scoring is leaving money on the table, money that could make the difference between a profitable year and a disappointing one.

Remember, your ewes are the engine room of your operation. Knowing exactly how much fuel they're carrying isn't just good management, it's the foundation of economic efficiency. The precision is there for the taking; the only question is whether you're ready to embrace it and stop leaving money on the table.

________

‍

Sheep Body Condition Scoring Guide

Keen to hone your technique further? You'll find more in-depth information in our Sheep Body Condition Scoring Guide.

________

Join the conversation on The Hub

Take a moment to head over to the neXtgen Agri Hub to share your thoughts about condition scoring, along with any questions you have for Ferg and the team.