The conformation of a beef cow’s teats and udder are important in a profitable cow-calf enterprise.
“Females with poor udder and teat conformation are a management challenge for commercial cow-calf producers,” says Rick Rasby, University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor and cow-calf Extension specialist. “Cattle producers do not have the time or labor to manage around cows that need intervention at calving to physically ‘milk-out’ a quarter so that the calf can suckle or to save the quarter from infection.”
Bob Weaber, Kansas State University professor and head of the Eastern Kansas Research and Extension Centers, agrees adding udder quality represents one of the most important convenience traits in the beef industry.
While animal scientists refer to udder quality as a convenience trait, many producers argue it represents an economic trait, as poor udders require additional labor and thereby decrease profitability.
Rasby explains selecting and culling based on conformation of teats and udders may be considered convenience trait selection, selecting against poor teats and udders increases profit potential by:
- Increasing calf performance
- Reducing calf sickness
- Increasing longevity of the cow
- Reducing labor inputs
Cows with good udder quality not only take less labor but also may have improved longevity due to lower incidence of mastitis or injury.
Robert Wells, Robert Wells, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management professor of practice and endowed chair in ranch management, further explains: “The udder is how the cow produces milk and colostrum for the newborn calf. Without a well-formed udder that has all four quarters functioning, calf health, performance and vigor may be compromised.”
Poor udders, especially large teat size, may delay timely colostrum intake, resulting in poorer transmission of passive immunity.
How Does a Producer Describe a Good Udder?
Bill Tucker of Tucker Family Farms, Amherst, Va., says: “To me, udder quality so often is overlooked as not just an unattractive udder, but an underlying reason for poor calf production later in life.”
Tucker compares the functionality of cattle udders to the utility of well-designed equipment. He explains just like a producer wants a tractor or piece of machinery to be maintenance-free, long-lasting and easy to use, a cow should possess an udder that is functional and durable.
“You want that piece of equipment to be functional. You want it to be as maintenance-free as possible and you want to own it for a long time so you can amortize your upfront cost most effectively. The functionality piece means that when she freshens, she has the right size bag with the right size teats. That’s properly supported so that she can milk at her particular level of milk production, with the calf having access to the factory without any hassles. Pretty simple,” he says.
He adds the maintenance-free piece is if the cow sustains udder shape, and when the time comes to wean, she dries in an effective manner that minimizes risk of mastitis.
“If the upper udder structure is right, you should be able to achieve great longevity,” he summarizes. “Then you’ve got your amortization schedule working with you across a long period of time, and the female stays in the herd for a very long time.”
He explains overlooking udder quality can lead to subtle but serious issues, such as subclinical mastitis that diminishes calf growth even when outward signs aren’t obvious.
He says proper udder structure is both a genetic and management priority. He points out breed associations are increasingly using expected progeny differences (EPDs) and data to address it.
Is Udder Quality Just a Seedstock Producer Problem?
Weaber stresses good udders are important for both seedstock and commercial producers and encourages producers to manage udder quality closely.
In a message to seedstock producers, Weaber says: “Your commercial customers expect trouble-free cattle when they make a purchase at your farm or ranch. Don’t give your customers a reason to buy genetics from another source to ‘clean up’ udders produced by your bulls.”
Commercial cattleman Rick Busch, Busch Brothers Farms, Washington, Mo., learned the hard way what happens to a cow herd when you use a bull with poor udder quality.
He explains his family purchased a bull 35 years ago that was phenotypically outstanding, but his poor udder quality traits passed onto his daughter and caused significant problems in the Busch herd.
These bad udders led to more labor — helping calves nurse, increased risk of calf health problems and poorer calf performance. This experience motivated the Busch family to adjust their breeding practices, selecting sires based on proven udder quality, using artificial insemination and ensuring strong maternal lines for udder traits to systematically improve udder quality in their herd.
What Steps Can Producers Use to Improve Herd Udders?
Wells encourages producers to evaluate the cow while in full lactation to determine if the cow is a candidate for culling before the next breeding season.
“Make sure the suspensory ligament is still holding the udder tight to the cow and that the teats are appropriately sized,” he says. “Heavy milking cows or older cows will break down, thus causing the udder to be malformed and lower than needed. Additionally, make sure that all four quarters look to be functional. A cow that has had mastitis typically will have a quarter that is non-functional.”
He also says udder evaluation can start as a heifer.
“One that already had a large udder or an udder with excessive fat is determinantal to long-term success,” Well explains.
Tucker encourages producers to keep detailed mental or written notes about individual and group calf performance to help spot and manage issues early. He particularly recommends simply classifying udders as acceptable or unacceptable at birth when tagging a new calf.
“You can get as detailed as you want into what you view as being unacceptable,” he explains. “More often than not, that’s teat size and shape. The calf can manage a pretty poorly supported udder that’s a longevity issue, but it’s definitely teat size and shape that can be a problem.”
The Busch family also records individual udder scores at calving. When tagging the calf, they observe and score the cow’s udder, using the BIF (Beef Improvement Federation) scoring system, which scores both udder suspension and teat size.
Learn more about how to score udders:
According to BIF, udder characteristics are highly heritable and therefore can be efficiently changed with selection.
Busch says they typically aim for a score of six or seven out of nine. They document these scores for each cow as part of their management process.
This data can be used at weaning to determine if you want to keep a heifer out of a poor-uddered cow. You can also use the information when making breeding decisions and mate the females to bulls with better udder EPDs to improve the next generation. This can include using bulls from the same breed or a different breed.
“We’re mixing breeds all the time,” Tucker says. “Often that’s the fastest solution, is to jump to another breed that has an excellent choice to solve that particular problem and pick up the added benefit of the hybrid vigor at the same time.”
Bottom line: Tucker says EPDs work when selecting bulls to improve udder quality.
“The EPDs work without question,” he explains. “You can use those EPDs with confidence.”
How Does Poor Udder Quality Affect Your Cow-Calf Operation?
Weaber summarizes four concerns if a cow’s udder is not sound:
- Labor associated with extra costs and reduced convenience.
- Longevity, which may be reduced because of injury or mastitis.
- Calf performance, affected by a reduction in milk flow, or lower colostrum intake by newborn calves having difficulty nursing oversized teats.
- Udder and teat characteristics are heritable. Change can be made through selection.
Your Next Read:
How Do You Score an Udder?
How Important is Colostrum?
9 Tips to Ensure Calving Season Success
