back quarters of milkbag not working

[prepfarm]

Have a cow with calf and her backquarters have dried up should I get rid of cow or will having another calf bring backquarters back?

 

[bigbull338]

since her back quarters dryed up id sale her an the calf but id split them an send her to the packer i doubt those teats will come back b/c she is real light in them scott

 

[prepfarm]

the thing is she was a heavy milker

 

[milkmaid]

Prolly got mastitis - that'll kill off the quarters really fast. If she just had light quarters in the back, she will likely milk out of them again after she calves, but only for a limited amount of time. Some cows will milk out of a light quarter longer than others - can be just a few days/milkings, or several months. If she milks heavy enough out of the front quarters to support a calf and she's a good cow otherwise, I wouldn't sell her yet, but there's JMO...

 

[jerry27150]

cow with calf only needs one teat, not like holsteins. she'll give all milk through one

 

[stocky]

if she gives enough milk to raise a good calf, i would not sell her because those quarters dried up. it is possible that she had plenty of milk in the front two and the calf didnt suck the back two. if she raises the calf well, i would certainly keep her

 

[Farminlund]

My first inclination was to grow her wheels once the calf is weaned (having not had one that dried up). But as stocky says, the real test is how well she raisess her calf. I can't see how she could do as good a job with just 2 teats, but I live to learn. If she weans off as good a calf as the other cows, why cull her? That's the acid test.

 

[jerry27150]

gave a jersey cow to my grand kids & she is raising two calves with only her front teats & they are growing good

 

[bigbull338]

now thats right most dairy breeds are great at raising a calf with 2 teats and some with 4 teats will starve a calf to death just means if you keep her gotta keep an eye on her scott

 

[flaboy]

cow with calf only needs one teat, not like holsteins. she'll give all milk through one

I agree with you the problem I had was the calf could not find the working unit. He kept trying the other three. He was so weak that he got tired sucking on the non-producing ones. I had to milk the dam and give it to him in a bottle until he started to get some strength and then I stuck her in the squeeze and had him suck the right one. After he got some stamina he would figure out which one worked after a while. This took about three days.

 

[Oldtimer]

I've got one cow that only produces milk in the back quarters- was going to sell her, but she keeps bringing in a good calf and is a good quiet mother--always had something worse to cull...As long as the calf does good, she'll probably stay.....

 

[milkmaid]

The only thing about a cow with one or two milking quarters is she isn't going to give as much as if she milked out of all four. Got a cow that only milks out of the back (blockage in the fronts) - great big bag & heavy milker - can't help but wonder what she'd give if she milked out of the fronts too. 'Nuther cow that only milks out of two - other side had mastitis - gives enough to pay her way and then some. Then there's the cow that was shipped because she had mastitis after calving and had only milked out of two quarters prior to calving. When she was left with only one she didn't give enough to pay for her upkeep. Enough for a calf, but not enough to cover her cost in the milking herd. She had paid her way before.

 

[prepfarm]

thanks all gonna keep close eye on her probably give her one more chance

 

[4-H fanatic]

good choice prep farm