Just how dumb am I?

[Jcran]

Today we were walking my daughter's 4-H heifer, a sweet September 09 Jersey named Lucy. You know how sometimes you don't notice something until you aren't looking for it? Well, I noticed an extra teat! And then I looked closely. She has two nubs on the back and one larger one in the middle for a grand total of SEVEN teats!!!!!!! OMG, to quote my 10-year old. Now, she is NOT a dairy replacement heifer, but how stupid am I!? Please don't answer that question, as I have already been answering it all afternoon...Is she just a cull that I paid $500 for? What should I do? Our boers have extra teats sometimes, but I have NEVER NOT EVER seen a cow with extra teats. Ay caramba!

[ufo_chris]

Hi,I read in a cow book that if a heifer calf has extra teats to cut them off!
Of course I would let the vet do that! OUCH!
Good luck,Chris

[gone-a-milkin]

Do not freak out.

Extra teat are very VERY! common with dairy cows. So she has the extra pair up high in back. That is very normal. They usually just remain vestigual and dont make milk. Just little bumps. The only one to worry about is the one in the 'middle'. Middle of where? Between the front 2 and the normal back 2? off to the side or right in the center between her 2 'proper' sets (ignoring the high in back ones)? If it is just a nub off to the side, like outside of the "square" her proper 4 make? that will not make milk, or cause any trouble. In order for there to be milk, she has to have the udder behind it. Just like goats. the only time extra teats are really a problem is when there are basically 2 holes in one teat, kind of like how zucchini sometimes grow fused together? Like 1 thick teat that is actually 2 w/ 2 separate orifices.

You say she is not a replacement heifer? what would she be then? What kind of project would a jersey heifer be that isn't dairy? (just curious)

I know there are folks who band the extra teats. I have never done it. Seen it though and obviously they can do fine w/ the procedure.

Ask the 4H leader what to do, for your DD's project. They will know the acceptable procedure. & yeah, you should have looked. Oh! well! It is too late now. Nobody is perfect.

She could still be a fine milk cow though. Like I said, it is totally normal for them to have extra nubbin teats.

[Ronney]

As gone-a-milkin

[springvalley]

I can`t ever make a call without seeing the animal, but I think I would still clip them off. Ask your vet if you have one, we generaly use a razor blade to cut any off if we have one . We havn`t cut any off in a long while. We had a heifer when I was a kid that would milk out of her extra teats, so she was a six teated cow. > Thanks Marc

[ozark_jewels]

As gone-a-milkin said, not a big deal. It is very, very common in cows, milk or beef.
I always pick a bull with four teats, but I'm not that picky about cows. Nubbins are normal, as is a small extra teat between the front and back teat.
These teats almost never have milk, they are simply there.
I never take them off, it can cause more trouble than its worth. They are not in the way at all.
The only time these are a cull factor is if the teats are right together, making milking almost too hard to try. I personally have never seen that though.

[bigmudder77]

ya we use to get cows that had extras ones we only had one that had 2 the rest just had one extra one we just left them alone they milked fine but not out of the extra ones they were just there for looks i guess

and as far as showing i think they take points off for that not sure its been years since i watched a cattle show

[Chixarecute]

Well, at least you didn't "not notice" that she wasn't a heifer, after all!

You're fine, she's fine. Sometimes I think those nubs don't become real noticeable until they're getting close to "puberty."

[Jcran]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

Do not freak out.

You say she is not a replacement heifer? what would she be then? What kind of project would a jersey heifer be that isn't dairy? (just curious)

If she was being raised in the "formal" dairy heifer replacement project here, she would have to be out of high-ranking bull and cow...they have a minimum requirement for butterfat, milk production, etc. Those heifers go to a special auction at the county fair. Miss Lucy will just be raised as our first heifer, give my daughter experience at the whole process and showing thang, and then be sold back to a dairy as part of their milking string. However, we are already madly in love with her and who knows....maybe a family milk cow is in the future?

THanks for the info... in dairy goats extra teats are a major no-no, as is lopping those extra ones off. I am glad they're a bit more normal in the bovine flavor!

[65284]

" However, we are already madly in love with her and who knows....maybe a family milk cow is in the future?"

Hard not fall in love with a Jersey heifer that's had a lot of attention, absolutely nothing on the farm any sweeter.

[gone-a-milkin]

Jcran, okay. I hear you. She will likely become a milk cow, whether you give her the 'replacement' title or not.

LOL, about being in love with her. You all will be swimming in milk. Goats cannot begin to compare. (nothing personal)

I hope your 4-H leader can give good advice on whether to trim those teats off or not. It would be a shame for your DD to lose points on that, when it could be easily remedied now.

[Jcran]

Our 4-H project leader is coming out Saturday morning to "nip things in the bud" so to speak. Thanks for alleviating my paranoia.

[willow_girl]

We had a heifer when I was a kid that would milk out of her extra teats, so she was a six teated cow.

We have one like that in the herd that I milk ... when she freshened recently, all 6 teats were dripping!

We don't milk the two little ones, of course, and they dry up naturally after a couple days.

[jBlaze]

Originally Posted by Chixarecute

Well, at least you didn't "not notice" that she wasn't a heifer, after all! "

We bought a steer once. months later finally noticed that it peed from the back, yup, a heiffer, lol. :rofl:

[jBlaze]

I am not really much of a cow person, but I will tell you that most of the ones that i have looked at have more than four. We did have a hereford heifer that only had four, and I felt she was rather unusual. LOL!

[deineria]

Gotta go double check our heifer now! lol

[francismilker]

I usually just snip them off with scissors and dob some iodine on them when they're newborn. If I don't get around to it, I don't worry about it. Most of the time those teats are inactive but if they do make milk they will most of the time dry up naturally.

[Up North]

We don't have a cow named Pig Tits for nothing.