When a cow is pregnant and has enlarged udders, is milk already present? How long before the calf is born is milk present in the udder?
Around three weeks prior the birth of a calf, a cow’s udder starts the process of organising their mammary epithelial cells (milk producing cells) to create milk.
Last updated 31/01/2025
This process is known as lactogenesis and has a steady ramp-up phase from three weeks prior to calving to the point of birth.
In the two-to-three-month post-calving period, milk production slowly increases to a peak, before decreasing at a rate of around five to seven per cent per month.
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