LOP-SIDED UDDERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19255, 18 February 1926, Page 14

LOP-SIDED UDDERS.

METHODS OF TREATMENT. POINTS FOR ATTENTION. A cow's lop-sided udder is something of an eyesore likely to influence a showring judge in the wrong direction. Moreover, it is a defect which may cause inconvenience at milking time and considerably detract from an animal's usefulness as a milk producer. Though it is always difficult to rebalance a bag which has become lopsided through carelessness or ignorance, it is not impossible. A milker skilled in his art may accomplish much in this direction by perseverance along the right lines. • A neglected case of garget, or even of fellin in a cow's bag (states a contributor to The' Livestock Journal) may result in her milking light in one quarter. Such cases, unless skilfully handled, are apt to terminate in the disfigurement under discussion. But possibly inferior and careless milking is responsible for the majority of lop-sided udders. Not infrequently one may observe a milker who grips stronger with one hand than with the other, and as a result the quarters milked by the stronger hand are always emptied first. Herein lies the cause of the trouble and consequently the remedy. If either of the two pairs of quarters are habitually milked out first they . tend toward a fuller development detrimental to the rfther pair. * , Therefore if a quarter inclined to, lightness is persistently milked out before the remaining three,, the repeatedly encouraged milk flow into this section of the gland will, in favourable circumstances, develop it to its original capacity. The writer has; proved that this theory is applicable to practice with gratifying results. Achievements will largely depend upon the a,mount of elasticity present in the coat of the. udder unde| the skin, which naturally depends upon how far the beast's lactation has advanced. The sooner after calving the better the chance of success, of course, but it would be of little use attempting to rectify the established lop-sided udder of an old cow. Neither should the naturally mis-shapen udder be confused with one that has become unsymmethrical through one of the several causes mentioned. To reduce the risk of lop-sided udders, milkers whose proficiency is doubted are ■ often advised to milk cross-handed. This method has its merits and demqgats, but i provided one keeps the right hand, to the front teats and the., left hand to the - back teats (or vice-versa) it certainly tends to rectify a prevailing fault. 1