Body condition score and fat mobilization as management tools for goats on native pastures

Goats raised in extensive production systems in which nutritional requirements and feed availability are often mismatched are compelled to store and mobilize body reserves. It is the adipose tissue that is tasked with storing energy surpluses in the form of lipids when animals have a positive energy balance and of mobilizing the reserves when the energy balance is negative. As a result, caprine body reserves have to be properly managed over the course of the production cycle to achieve optimal production yields and ensure that herds are profitable. Different methods of estimating body composition and animals’ fat reserves have been described. These include the body condition score, an effective, easy to use method that can help goat farmers to properly manage the nutrition of their herds.