Udder

An udder is the mammary organ of female cattle and some other mammals, including goats and sheep.

A cow has one udder and four teats or nipples, while goats have two teats on their udders. A cow's udder commonly holds up to around 40 litres (10.6 gallons) of milk. The udder is divided into four separate quarters each supplying milk to one of the teats. One or two supernumerary teats are sometimes present at birth. Farmers often remove these to prevent the development of milk producing tissue. These could cause complications by leaking milk and hosting mastitis infections.

Udder care and hygiene in cows is important in milking, aiding uninterrupted and untainted milk production, and preventing mastitis.