Udder issue?

[ssrdex]

We have a 3 year old cow with a 6 month old calf on her. She is the worst udder in our herd. Her front teats get big, & both years at calving I've had to "free up" her front left as it gets engorged. Just have to strip it the one time and after that not a problem. I've been away, and today is the first time I've gotten to see the cattle in a week and a half. Her entire udder is swollen like just before calving. Teats all squirt but I've never let the girls wean on their own before this year, so I'm not sure if this is typical, and pergaps just looks worse on her. She let us milk each teat without an indication of pain.

[carragheendexters]

Hi Joel,
makes me wonder if maybe her calf isn't feeding for her to fill up like that. We have sometimes seen this if the calf has scours or is a bit off colour so isn't feeding properly. At 6mths old the calf should be taking all the cow can produce twice a day or so. She shouldn't build up to a big udder, unless as I was saying the calf isn't feeding. We've found cows don't usually wean on their own unless they don't have much milk and have dried up. Usually it is too uncomfortable for them to not let the calf feed, they know if the calf drinks it relieves the pressure, so will often go seek the calf out when they get that way.
If this was my cow, I would check the calf out and make sure nothing is going on. Just my opinion, hope it helps.
regards Louise

[ssrdex]

Thanks Louise. I can't figure it out. The calf seems in every way to be fine. No scours, sweet and gentle, bright eyed and happily eating her hay with the rest if the herd. Cow had not been suckled this morning at all, and doesn't seem to be uncomfortable. I can't imagine a calf just stopping mother's milk on her own. I intend to milk her today to check the milk? Thoughts?

[carragheendexters]

Hi Joel,
sounds like a good idea. Milk a little out of each quarter separately, and if no clots etc (mastitis) and the udder feels ok (no heat or hard lumps) have a little taste yourself. If the milk tastes a little salty, then it is old milk and then the calf hasn't been drinking. Maybe if you could separate the cow and calf in a small pen and encourage the calf to drink, maybe you can see what is going on. Does the calf have a slick and shiny nose as if it has had a drink when you weren't around?
Highly unlikely that the calf would stop drinking voluntarily unless it isn't feeling right, but by what you are saying the calf sounds well. Usually it's the other way, you can't stop them suckling LOL.

The cow hasn't been in heat and not letting the calf drink as she has other things on her mind?

If the calf isn't drinking at all I would milk her out completely, (unless of course you want to wean the calf and dry her off) to keep the milk sweet and keep her in milk till the calf starts feeding again. We like to keep the calves on the cows till at least 8-9 months , if not even longer if the cow still has a while to calve again. It helps to keep the cows weight down, and gives the calves a good start.
regards Louise

[wjmartin]

I've had one cow with edema udder, I was lucky enough to sell her for a pasture pet. After 3 calves it was all I could take fighting the mastitis. Calf would stop nursing when mastitis showed up in a quarter, thankfully she never had it in all quarters at the same time but this is what I would suspect for your cow per my experience. My vet advised that the condition would only get worse with each lactation and he was soooooo right.

[ssrdex]

Well, 3 quarters the milk seemed a little old but not bad, the quarter that has given me trouble was a cloudy yellowish, that seemed to get milkier the more I milked it out. I'd thought I could keep her if I just had to deal with the issue at calving but I'm thinking her spring calf will be her last. Sounds like what you dealt with wjmartin, thanks for the post. Thank you very much as well Louise.

[wjmartin]

So sorry you're having to deal with this issue. I know the one I sold was one of my favs and I am so thankful that she is able to be just a pasture pet. Her heifer calf I kept is due to calf in Feb. if she has issues it will be her only calf, keeping my fingers crossed because she is a lovely thing and sweet tempered also.

[ssrdex]

Goliath was born 2 evenings ago at around 10pm.

I had checked on Molly B at 9:30 or so and she wasn't laboring at all. Only went out because we heard someone scratching on a gate at around 10:45 and he was out. I stayed out with them for a couple hours and made sure he nursed from both if her front teats as they are the ones that get BIG. He got a bellyful. Everything on all 4 quarters is flowing now. Went out last night to milk the left side out and he'd already taken care of it so I milked out the right half, front and rear. Milk looks and tastes fine, calf seems to be getting plenty. The problem seems to occur when she gets too engorged and subsequently sore, so she won't allow nursing. I guess I'll keep milking as I see the need to. I'm relieved all 4 quarters are producing.

[zephyrhillsusan]

Glad things seem to be going well for now. I'm on another board, too, and so often they say their (other breed) bull calves are sleepy and not motivated to nurse or don't even seem to know how. Good thing this little guy seems up to his task!

[carragheendexters]

Goliath is a great name for a Dexter LOL. Sounds like you are doing well keeping on top of the engorged teats, maybe you are going to have to milk her each lactation, a real pain sometimes but not necessarily a fault. Some cows are just like that, great teats for hand milking, but hard for baby calves.

If you are having to milk her to keep the teats down, why not make it a routine and milk each day, or when ever you need milk for the house, 2 birds with the one stone, teats a good size for the calf and yummy milk for the kitchen.

You know Susan , I find Dexters the other way to what they write on KFC, the baby bulls are gluttons, and it's the heifers that are a little slower getting going and a little shy in drinking, never going between the legs for the back teats.

regards Louise

[lakeportfarms]

Congratulations, hopefully with a name like Goliath he'll keep mom's udder emptied as long as she's willing to keep him going. Sounds like a future post for Dexter moms weaning their calves almost as big as she is!

[zephyrhillsusan]

Out of three calvings on our farm, Louise, we have yet to get a bull calf so it will be interesting to compare if we ever do. Now that we bought a weanling steer in the fall, we'll probably get two out of two bull calves and have steers coming out of our ears!

[ssrdex]

Thanks Hans & Susan, he is a glutinous little guy and is really trying to do his part!
Louise, I had to go with Goliath, he's the smallest calf we've ever had. I'm going to do as you suggest and hopefully keep her flowing while keeping us in dairy.

[Olga]

Joel, your cow's udder problems could be on the decline. In my experience with Maxine, it seamed that the large teats problem coincided with the peak years of lactation. The peak is 3rd trough 6th lactation, I think. Then the cow's milk production starts to slowly decline and the problem of over-supply of milk decline with it. Maxine is now 11 y.o. and during the last two calvings she didn't need any assistance with the udder. Which was nice.

[ssrdex]

Thanks Olga, that's encouraging. I swore this would be her last calf, that I was going to stick to Sheri's "cull twice as deep as you think you should" rule, but it is genuinely rewarding to be able to milk her tied to a fence post, wherever she happens to be. She is such a gentle natured cow. Her first heifer is in calf for next month and looks to be an improvement for sure. Her second will be bred for the first time June/July so we'll wait and see on her. They are both very sweet. All bulls (sorry Goliath) would have to be beef.