Anyone who has ever attempted to milk out a sore balloon-teated cow can certainly relate to the need for quality udders. A key to good udders is documenting udder quality at calving and using that data in culling, selection and mating decisions.
While collecting and reporting udder scores to breed associations is important for the calculation of expected progeny differences (EPDs), the practice and analysis of data also benefits herd improvement and profitability.
For seedstock producers, collecting teat size and udder suspension scores can improve the accuracy of the EPDs in their herd. Likewise, commercial producers can see herd improvement with decreased labor, increased cow longevity as well as improved calf health and performance.
Commercial cattleman Rick Busch, Busch Brothers Farms, Washington, Mo., records individual udder scores at calving. When tagging a calf, he also scores the cow’s udder using the universal BIF (Beef Improvement Federation) scoring system, which scores both udder suspension and teat size.
BIF recommends scoring udder suspension and teat size annually within 24 hours of calving. These numerical scores can easily be assigned in the pasture.
“A two-score system allows independent evaluation of teat size and suspension characteristics,” explains Bob Weaber, Kansas State University professor and head of the Eastern Kansas Research and Extension Centers. “While there is a general trend for cows with large teat size to also have poorer suspension, this is not always the case. The independent scoring of the two important udder quality traits allows more precise measurement of each trait. Even though these scores are subjective, they’ll do a better job documenting variation in udder quality than a single-score system. When the two scores are used, the heritability estimates for each trait should be higher due to increased precision of measurement.”
Weaber suggests producers make udder score collection a routine part of performance data collection at calving.
“Until you get comfortable with the scoring system, tape a scoring guide to your clipboard or reduce on a copy machine and tape in your ‘red book’ for use in the field; try to get as close as you can to the guide and be as consistent as possible,” he suggests. “Once you do it for a while, you’ll start picking out the really good ones and really bad ones easily. Be honest with yourself and use as much of the scale as needed. If she’s a 1 on suspension and 1 on teat size, give the scores.”
Weber explains there is no perfect score, but it is the ranking and the differences within the herd that are important.
Scores should be assigned according to the worst quarter of the cow’s udder. To ensure consistency and facilitate comparison of records, preferably one person should evaluate all cows each year and across years. Written notes about abnormal shapes or characteristics other than udder suspension and teat size can be useful.
Rick Rasby, University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor and cow-calf Extension specialist, says udder conformation will decline as the female ages, but do not take age into account when assigning an udder score.
The BIF scoring system doesn’t account for teat and udder pigmentation.
“Pigmentation is desirable as it is a guard against sunburn of the teat and udder that can be caused by direct sunshine or reflection of the sun off snow,” Rasby adds.
BIF and multiple breed associations have tools available to help with the scoring process. Here are a few resources:
BIF Guidelines
Angus Udder Scoring
Hereford Udder Scoring
Red Angus Udder Scoring
How Do You Score Udder Suspension?
Udder suspension cores range from 9 (very tight) to 1 (very pendulous) and represent assessments of udder support. Weak udder suspension results in pendulous udders that make it difficult for a calf to nurse.
Weak suspension in the udder indicates a lack of support in the ligament that ties the udder to the cow’s body wall. Over time, weakness in this ligament will allow the udder to hang down too far from the body and could subject the udder to serious problems and increased potential for injury
“The tighter to the body cavity that the udder is placed, the more desirable,” Rasby summarizes. “This allows for the calf to more easily to locate the teats, and it is less likely for the teats to drag in the mud.”
How Do You Score Teat Size?
Teat scores range from 9 (very small) to 1 (very large, balloon shaped) and are subjective assessments of teat length and circumference.
Oversized teats are difficult for newborn calves to nurse and the calf might not receive adequate colostrum, which could lead to a higher incidence of scours or decreased immunity levels in the newborn calf. In Canadian studies, cows with more desirable teat scores had calves that nursed sooner after birth.
4 Tips for Effective Udder Scoring
- Collect within 24 hours of calving
- Use weakest quarter to score both teat size and udder suspension
- Score both teat size and udder suspension on 1–9 scale, independently
- Best if one person scores all females in each management group
