Extra Teat

[copesq]

I just looked at a 7 month old calf who had a 5th teat. It was directly behind the left front teat. Will this cause problems in the future?

[JulieLou42]

My cow has two extra ones, behind each of her rear teats. Not to worry about.

[Ronney]

This is very common and several of my cows have an extra teat. The only time they are really cause for concern is if you are thinking of machine milking and the extra teat is going to foul the cups. In this case the vet can easily remove it.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[Up North]

Originally Posted by copesq

I just looked at a 7 month old calf who had a 5th teat. It was directly behind the left front teat. Will this cause problems in the future?

Only rarely will these extra teats cause problems for a commercial production cow. If, However, you wish to show a heifer or cow at fairs, etc., you would do well to remove any extra teats. To make a cleaner looking cow which is more marketable(should we wish to sell excess stock at any given time), we snip any extra teats with a clean, sharp surgical scissors at calfhood dehorning or vaccinating times when we are working a group....cheers
If it was directly behind a front teat, I would suggest you have a vet remove, as it may interfere with milking, hand or machine. Teats behind rear teats rarely cause a problem.

[john in la]

While I do not get into the milking end of the job I was under the impression that extra teats were also a site for a udder infection to get started especially if you had a calf on the cow and the calf was trying to suck the extra teat.
Maybe someone can comment on this more.

Any way teats should be removed in the first weeks of life.
With a 7 month old I would rather a vet do it.

[Oxankle]

Extra teats are a hereditary thing. Those that are high up on the back of the udder seem to cause no harm. It always seemed to me that they were of more importance to showmen than to the commercial cattleman.

I can readily see that placement could present problems, but the only ones I have ever seen were behind the rear teats, fairly high up on the udder, and much smaller than the four mains.
Ox

[dosthouhavemilk]

Extra teats come in all shapes and sizes and usually are not an issue (unless you are showing).
Slicker had an extra quarter attached to one of her extra teats. Not an issue except when she was first fresh.
Elisif also has an extra quarter and it did cause issues this lactation. She got mastitis in the extra quarter and became ill from it. Knocked her down hard.
Adia had an extra teat between her normal teats on her left side that we didn't discover until fair time. It was removed, by the vet, when she was 8 months old.
We usually have them snipped when the heifers are vacc. (4-6 months old). Our J/NR crosses were more prone to extra teats and extra quarters. The one heifer that never settled had four normal teats, two extras teats and three nubbins.

[Oxankle]

How common are those? I've seen a lot of extra teats but never one that had the supporting glands that I could tell. What breed of cattle?
Ox

[dosthouhavemilk]

Not very common for quarters to come along with the extra teats, it appears.
El Tigre (1/2 Norwegian Red, 1/2 Jersey) sired 12 daughters out of purebred Jerseys, only one with an extra quarter. Quite a few with extra teats (and the one that never settled). Slicker was 1/2 N.R. and 1/2 Jersey. Seems to be a trait found in the NR breeding mroe than anywhere or else it was the N.R. bull we used as a foundation. We've had Jerseys with extra teats (Adia was one) but most do not have quarters attached.

[Up North]

Originally Posted by john in la

While I do not get into the milking end of the job I was under the impression that extra teats were also a site for a udder infection to get started especially if you had a calf on the cow and the calf was trying to suck the extra teat.
Maybe someone can comment on this more.
* Snipping them and applying a disinfectant is such a simple thing, why take a chance leaving an opportunity for infection to develop?

Any way teats should be removed in the first weeks of life.* Up to 10 weeks works just fine. Sharp Scissors, flush to the udder.
With a 7 month old I would rather a vet do it. * I Agree!

* Is my response,..UpNorth