Should extra teats be cut off?
- Thread starter lovecows
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bigbull338
Well-known member
when i was in the dairy business i rarely had the extra teats removed.an ive never had them removed on beef heifers.lovecows":2vaz089t said:
Depending on the location of the extra, on dairy heifers they're sometimes removed just for the ease of machine milking. With beef heifers, unless somene is planning on showing them and they're real picky, most people leave them on.
I've heard it claimed that the extra/blind teats confuse a calf so it doesn;t know which ones to nurse. That may be the case the first day or two, but after that it sure isn;t any problem.
dun
I've heard it claimed that the extra/blind teats confuse a calf so it doesn;t know which ones to nurse. That may be the case the first day or two, but after that it sure isn;t any problem.
dun
They don`t cause any harm that i know of other than unpleasent to look at but, as for me i remove them from my beef replacement heifer`s when they are young 4 -6 month`s. also i have found that they are highly heritable,for sure on the dam`s side. Sharp scissor`s do the trick.
These heifers are show heifers. One has 2 extra (very small) teats in the back. She is 13 months old. The other has 1 extra nub next to her rear left teat. She is just 2 1/2 months old. We probably wouldn't worry about them, except for the fact that they are show heifers.
BAGTIC
Well-known member
lovecows":41qfbttu said:
Is it considered ethical to surgically alter a show cow? Isn't it a misrepresent of the animal's true genetic heritage? What is the difference between that and permitting a beauty contestant with breast implants, a nose job, and a tummy tuck?
We recently had this discussion at our extension office, and I was told that this was an accepted, ethical practice. I know it is widely accepted in the dairy business. If it makes things better for the calf, I can understand it. However, if it's just for show, I have a hard time justifying it.
MountainFarmChar
Well-known member
I'm sure there can be situations where this would be important, if you show cattle, medical reason, etc.
Outside of those reasons, I would absolutely have to be without anything to do to worry about it.
Outside of those reasons, I would absolutely have to be without anything to do to worry about it.
bigbull338
Well-known member
well i dont think a dam or sires calves having extra teats is something to hide.in other words i think alot of heifers have extra teats no matter what.nor do i know of any breed assoc that says all cows of that breed must only have 4 teats on their bag.Frankie.":1g4d60fy said:
Frankie.":1fo7pynb said:
This has been dicussed before. Y'all know my feelings. IMO.....it's ludicris! Using the excuse that a calf will mistake them and subsequently be weak from lack of nutrition is absolutely ridiculous. Either a calf is strong enough to work the teats or it is not....If it is not, the teats won't matter.
If it is a matter of phenotype selection, then why are we fooling people in the show ring, or with our breed stock and making them believe one animal is more phenotypically correct then another? You either breed it out genetically, or you accept it. :roll:
This is another fine example in the difference of show cattle vs, breed cattle and why some of the genetic bases have gotten into the shape their in. Just keep hiding it in the show ring...don't diclose it.....get the picture thats sells the offspring...(stating it's the best out there)....get your dollar...and move on.
dun":2k9qmw3h said:
75-plus. On the dairy where I worked, boss never removed extra teats. Most of the cows had four, but there were a handful with five or six. I did see one heifer with seven once.
On my own herd... I've only removed extras on two heifers; the rest of the herd had four from birth.
I haven't yet seen an extra teat on a fresh cow that was big enough to suck on and separate from the rest where a calf might mistake it for the real thing.
A
Anonymous
Are we talking buttons, or regular sized udders? Most buttons never develope any size to allow a calf to latch on.
