Teat shape associated with teat cup crawl and production in Friesian cows

Abstract

SUMMARYA total of 580 Friesian cows from four dairy farms selected at random were grouped by teat shape. The incidence of teat cup crawl was recorded at the time of afternoon milking.Teat cup crawl was significantly higher (27·4%) in the cows with cylindrical shape teats than in cows with funnel shape teats (8·1%).Milk yield was significantly higher in the cows with funnel shape teats than in cows with cylindrical shape teats. There was significant reduction in milk yield due to teat cup crawl in both groups of cows, the reduction in milk yield being higher in the cows with cylindrical shape teats.