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MurraysMutts

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1. So a cow that only has 3 quarters, jersey cow, is it likely that she may have issues at next freshening?
I do not not know if the 4th quarter was from mastitis at this point.

2. Same cow.
How/where does one go about getting milk tested for consumption? Is that even a thing. I do not know this cows history as of yet.

If I purchase this gal, I would possibly milk her a couple times a week for personal use.
Calves will be on her. 2 calves for sure. She is approximately 3 and a half years old.
 

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She won't milk out of that quarter anymore. May be fine in the rest of them. I don't know with any certainty but over time she might lose out in other quarters too.
Not sure about the testing of milk, I've heard of it being done. Maybe a county extension agent or a vet could give you an answer as to where to go with that locally.
 
A CMT test would give you an idea of the somatic cell count and a snap test for antibiotics. Any local dairy farm should have the stuff to do both pretty easy and cheap
 
also I've seen plenty of cows milk good on 3 quarters for a long time. I've also seen cows who start with 1 bad quarter quickly develop problems in others so it's hard to say
 
3 quartered cows are pretty common. Assuming she's been that way for a while, she's not more likely to lose another quarter than any other cow. They can still milk about 90% of what they would have if they had all four; the other quarters pick up production a little.
 
3 quartered cows are pretty common. Assuming she's been that way for a while, she's not more likely to lose another quarter than any other cow. They can still milk about 90% of what they would have if they had all four; the other quarters pick up production a little.
I agree that she shouldn't lose more quarters any different than another cow, I was just basing my statement on some of the cows I have had in the past. It seems that some of them would go bad in one or two quarters one year and each year lose more. May just been individual cows udders getting in bad shape as they age, or maybe they didn't dry up like they should and ruined that way?
 
I agree that she shouldn't lose more quarters any different than another cow, I was just basing my statement on some of the cows I have had in the past. It seems that some of them would go bad in one or two quarters one year and each year lose more. May just been individual cows udders getting in bad shape as they age, or maybe they didn't dry up like they should and ruined that way?
My statement was probably a little too general, should have gone with "probably not more likely". Some cows have bad teat ends that make them prone to mastitis. It is also possible for cows to have a systemic infection with an organism like Mycoplasma that could knock out different quarters over time, but that's not going to be common in most herds.
 
I discovered the hard way with my Jersey cow that when drying her, the quarters should be milked out, then the appropriate dry cow medication should be inserted into each quarter followed by a teat sealant. I hadn't been doing that and she developed a bad case of mastitis in one quarter 3 days after calving that resulted in the loss of that quarter. I now keep the dry cow med and teat sealant on hand for the next time it's dry cow time. The other three quarters weren't affected and shouldn't be with proper treatment as described above at weaning time. There are several very good extension publications on treating mastitis in dairy cows on small farms.
 
1. So a cow that only has 3 quarters, jersey cow, is it likely that she may have issues at next freshening?
I do not not know if the 4th quarter was from mastitis at this point.

2. Same cow.
How/where does one go about getting milk tested for consumption? Is that even a thing. I do not know this cows history as of yet.

If I purchase this gal, I would possibly milk her a couple times a week for personal use.
Calves will be on her. 2 calves for sure. She is approximately 3 and a half years old

they make home test kits for antibiotics-pricey though-m mine was $300 plus the capsules another $40
 
Thanks @kenny thomas for the vote of support. I am not sure I am an expert... and there are vets on here that seem to have their own opinions. @ez14. has worked on a dairy like I did and had lots of exposure experience.
There is not any reason to think that a 3 quartered cow will have more mastitis problems down the road. Or lose another quarter. BUT, it is a toss up. I bought a bred jersey heifer, that had a bad quarter as a heifer.... probably sucked by another calf.... or fly infections that seemed to hit here every so often and several heifers will come in fresh with a bad quarter.... The quarter had no milk and she was a 3 teat. Sadly, the next year another one was light, although it had milk. By her next lactation, she was basically a "2 tit" cow. Raised 2 calves that year... came up open... down the road.
I have seen dairy farmers with 3 quartered cows for several lactations. Some seems to depend on what caused the 1st quarter to go bad.
As a rule, many cows that are 3 quartered.... with one that dried up or got mastitis and was not milked any more, TEND to have a higher somatic cell count. Especially if it is cultured and is a staph problem. Staph is a real B#$*@H to get rid of and becomes a chronic problem.
That said, I have had cows with a mastitis problem that have cleared up when used as a nurse cow.... because the calves will keep at the quarter, getting it milked out and keeping it emptied....They butt the udder and it tends to soften and break up the hardness of the whole area. Sometimes they will come in with good milk in all quarters.
IT IS A CRAPSHOOT...... Maybe.... maybe not.

If you are near any dairies, and they are "on test", talk to one and ask if you can get a milk sample checked.... through their DHIA testing. What I do is "put a cow on test" ....and then take the sample from the "private cow" and it gets run through. This is how we do it.... The farm has a "new cow" that is bought "on the records". You "give her a milk weight" like she was run through the dairy with their cows. You put her milk sample through and they get the result and you get all the info you need. Okay.... "Bessie Mae" is "bought" and added to the herd... She is number 1 or 100 or 1000 or 999 or whatever number.... You record her "calving date".... so she can "enter the herd" so she can get a "status". Then say she is making 25 lbs a milking or 50 lbs a day or whatever.... her sample gets processed, and the farms most all test for butterfat, protein, and SCC (somatic cell count). It goes to the lab, gets checked and the farmer gets back the results. You check with him a few days after the test to see what her "cell count is" . If you never do it again, the farm "sells her" out of the system. If you want to do it more, then every month they test, you get them a sample the day before their test day, and give them a "milk weight".... and it gets run through.
You offer to give them a couple dollars towards it... most farms 50-150 cows the sample and being on test is about $2-3.00 each month.
You can contact your state lab, and they will run samples ... but I have no idea of the charges. Some labs do specialize in culturing and finding out "what type" of organism is causing it.
Every cow is different, there is no hard and fast rule. If she is a high cell count cow, her milk will not keep in the fridge as long. If her count is low, her milk has a longer "shelf life". Lower is better.
 
Thanks @kenny thomas for the vote of support. I am not sure I am an expert... and there are vets on here that seem to have their own opinions. @ez14. has worked on a dairy like I did and had lots of exposure experience.
There is not any reason to think that a 3 quartered cow will have more mastitis problems down the road. Or lose another quarter. BUT, it is a toss up. I bought a bred jersey heifer, that had a bad quarter as a heifer.... probably sucked by another calf.... or fly infections that seemed to hit here every so often and several heifers will come in fresh with a bad quarter.... The quarter had no milk and she was a 3 teat. Sadly, the next year another one was light, although it had milk. By her next lactation, she was basically a "2 tit" cow. Raised 2 calves that year... came up open... down the road.
I have seen dairy farmers with 3 quartered cows for several lactations. Some seems to depend on what caused the 1st quarter to go bad.
As a rule, many cows that are 3 quartered.... with one that dried up or got mastitis and was not milked any more, TEND to have a higher somatic cell count. Especially if it is cultured and is a staph problem. Staph is a real B#$*@H to get rid of and becomes a chronic problem.
That said, I have had cows with a mastitis problem that have cleared up when used as a nurse cow.... because the calves will keep at the quarter, getting it milked out and keeping it emptied....They butt the udder and it tends to soften and break up the hardness of the whole area. Sometimes they will come in with good milk in all quarters.
IT IS A CRAPSHOOT...... Maybe.... maybe not.

If you are near any dairies, and they are "on test", talk to one and ask if you can get a milk sample checked.... through their DHIA testing. What I do is "put a cow on test" ....and then take the sample from the "private cow" and it gets run through. This is how we do it.... The farm has a "new cow" that is bought "on the records". You "give her a milk weight" like she was run through the dairy with their cows. You put her milk sample through and they get the result and you get all the info you need. Okay.... "Bessie Mae" is "bought" and added to the herd... She is number 1 or 100 or 1000 or 999 or whatever number.... You record her "calving date".... so she can "enter the herd" so she can get a "status". Then say she is making 25 lbs a milking or 50 lbs a day or whatever.... her sample gets processed, and the farms most all test for butterfat, protein, and SCC (somatic cell count). It goes to the lab, gets checked and the farmer gets back the results. You check with him a few days after the test to see what her "cell count is" . If you never do it again, the farm "sells her" out of the system. If you want to do it more, then every month they test, you get them a sample the day before their test day, and give them a "milk weight".... and it gets run through.
You offer to give them a couple dollars towards it... most farms 50-150 cows the sample and being on test is about $2-3.00 each month.
You can contact your state lab, and they will run samples ... but I have no idea of the charges. Some labs do specialize in culturing and finding out "what type" of organism is causing it.
Every cow is different, there is no hard and fast rule. If she is a high cell count cow, her milk will not keep in the fridge as long. If her count is low, her milk has a longer "shelf life". Lower is better.
See, I knew she was the expert.
 

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