bags gone bad

[Anonymous]

i have heard that if you do not milk a milk cow, her bag will go bad quickly (within days). i was wondering.. is it the same for beef cows? if you have a cow that has a calf stillborn or the calf dies soon after birth.. should you do anything to keep her bag from going bad? i see alot of cows thru the sale barns that have bad bags.. so i was just wondering. it would be interesting to know how many of them had lost a calf somewhere along the way. your comments appreciated. gene

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[Anonymous]

Generally speaking, the heavier milking the cow, the more likely the udder is to have trouble.

Most beef cows don't milk heavy enough to have an udder go bad after losing a calf.

That being said, one major reason cows are culled is a poor udder. Udder shape is genetic, a cow with a bad udder will most likely produce daughters with bad udders.

Some breeds have more udder problems than others, but all breeds have cows with bad udders.

A good udder is tight to the body, has small teats, and full of rich milk.

Jason Trowbridge Southern Angus Farms Alberta Canada

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