# Udder Development



## JeffNY (Dec 13, 2004)

Posted the same question (not word for word), on another site but no response! Not sure if they know or not, but either way I figured id post it here.


How many months in to a dairy heifers pregnancy do you start to see udder development? What I mean is, the baggyness that appears. With our Jersey she began to develop her udder roughly 4 months in to her pregnancy. As the months went by it developed more and more. She is due on the 28th of November.

With one of our holsteins, who was bred back on July 16th, seems to be developing an udder. Prior to this, her teats were flat (not flat, more against her hide), not much skin. There appears to be more skin, more to her udder (what little there is as a heifer). This would put her 5 months from her due date (April 16th), or about 4 months in, similar to the Jersey. I know holsteins are different, however is that generally the time frame they begin to develop, and then develop slowly up to calving time? I have looked over the other heifers, mainly two others that are bred. No development yet, however one is due May 22nd, the other is due June 6th, so I wouldn't see much on one of them till next month, and the following in January. Do some develop sooner than others? I am curious about this, because I haven't paid attention to dairy animals as I haven't been around them during this time frame, mainly beef cattle. The beef cattle tend to develop closer to their calving time, and any dairy I have been around already calved, or are close to calving.


Thanks!

Jeff


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## Horace Baker (Nov 22, 2004)

I've given up trying to judge pregnancy by udder development. Some show early in gestation, some build a huge udder that makes you think they'll calve any day now and nothing happens for weeks. Some cows don't really bag up much until after the calf is born. 

I just had a calf born that seemed to come from nowhere. The mom was in the barn the night before, and I didn't notice anything of note, didn't even think she was close, and the next morning there was a calf by her side.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I would say it's just like humans. Some bag up early, some don't.


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## milkinpigs (Oct 4, 2005)

With a holstein heifer, you should be able to see her udder -especially from the rear - startind to grow and expand; like you could cup it in your palm. At four months you will see the change starting.


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## Celtic Herritag (Jul 14, 2005)

Bagging up depends on the animal but a sure fire way to determine when she'll calve soon it to watch the teats themselves. They will absolutly swell and look like big fat platains (the ugly short bannana type things.) She may not develop a bag at all or she may develope a small bag but will not let her milk down, you won't know with one of these cows until they calve, so hold on and cross your fingers


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