Parts of a Cow

A dairy cow side-on, with the names used in 4-H and dairy judging.

Parts of a Cow

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Muzzle
  2. Bridge of nose
  3. Forehead
  4. Poll
  5. Throat
  6. Dewlap
  7. Neck
  8. Withers
  9. Loin
  10. Hip (hooks)
  11. Rump
  12. Tail head
  13. Pin bone
  14. Brisket
  15. Heart girth
  16. Rear flank
  17. Knee
  18. Hock
  19. Pastern
  20. Hoof
  21. Switch
  22. Fore udder
  23. Rear udder
  24. Teats

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-05 by script. Licence: own drawing; outline after a public domain photograph.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

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All 24 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Start here: 10 main parts 10

  1. Muzzle The nose and mouth at the front of the face.
  2. Poll The top of the head, between the ears. Horns grow here on horned cattle.
  3. Neck Joins the head to the shoulders.
  4. Withers The top of the shoulders. The highest point of the back at the front.
  5. Hip (hooks) The hip bones on each side at the top of the hindquarters. Called hooks.
  6. Rump The top of the hindquarters, from the hips to the tail head.
  7. Knee The joint halfway down the front leg.
  8. Hock The joint halfway down the hind leg, which points backward.
  9. Hoof The hard, split covering of the foot.
  10. Teats Where the milk comes out; a cow has four.

Head and neck: 7 4

  1. Bridge of nose The top of the face, from the muzzle up to the forehead.
  2. Forehead The broad, flat front of the head above the eyes.
  3. Throat Where the underside of the head meets the neck.
  4. Dewlap The fold of loose skin that hangs under the throat and neck.

Along the back: 6 3

  1. Loin The part of the back between the ribs and the hips.
  2. Tail head Where the tail joins the body.
  3. Pin bone The bones at the rear of the rump, beside the tail head.

Body and tail: 4 4

  1. Brisket The front of the chest, low between the front legs.
  2. Heart girth The chest just behind the front legs, measured round the body.
  3. Rear flank The fold where the hind leg joins the belly.
  4. Switch The tuft of long hair at the end of the tail.

Legs: 4 1

  1. Pastern The short part of the leg between the dewclaws and the hoof.

Udder: 3 2

  1. Fore udder The front part of the udder.
  2. Rear udder The back part of the udder, attached high between the hind legs.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. (1) University of Kentucky, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Dairy Cattle Discovery: Parts, https://afs.mgcafe.uky.edu/extension/4-h-youth/dairy/discovery/parts : muzzle, poll, back, ribs, hip, pin bone, hock, pastern, thigh, heel, dewlap, jaw, throat, mammary, fore udder attachment, forehead, neck, heart girth, chine, rump, thurl, switch, dewclaw, sole, knee, brisket, chest floor, fore udder, bridge of nose, withers, crops, loin, tail head, stifle, hoof, rear flank, teat, point of shoulder, point of elbow, shoulder blade, rear udder, rear udder attachment. (2) Holstein Foundation, Dairy judging, Activity: Parts of a Cow (2013), as reprinted in a Wisconsin 4-H dairy project sheet: back, barrel, bridge of nose, brisket, chest floor, chine, crops, dew claw, dewlap, flank, fore udder, forehead, heart girth, heel, hip, hock, hoof, jaw, knee, loin, mammary veins, milk wells, muzzle, neck, pastern, pin bones, point of elbow, point of shoulder, poll, rear udder, ribs, rump, sole, stifle, switch, tail, tail head, teats, thigh, throat, thurl, withers. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-05 by script. The proportions and the outline were measured on one public domain photograph, mirrored: Holstein Cow, lantern slide, Province of Ontario Picture Bureau, probably 1920s, public domain, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holstein_Cow_(22815045791).jpg). Changed from it: head in true profile without horns or halter, level ground, a slightly shorter barrel, no coat patches. Licence: own drawing; outline after a public domain photograph

How it works

These are the parts of a cow as 4-H members and dairy judges name them, on a dairy cow standing side-on. Start with the 10 main parts, then work along the head, the back, the legs and the udder.

Read the full guide

Head to tail along the top

The poll is the top of the head and the muzzle the front of the face. Along the back come the withers over the shoulders, the loin, the hips, called hooks, and the rump, ending at the tail head and the pin bones.

Underneath

The dewlap hangs under the neck and the brisket is the low front of the chest. The heart girth runs round the chest behind the front legs. The udder has a fore udder and a rear udder, and four teats.

  • Dairy judges and 4-H members use these names; the full judging list also names the chine, crops, thurl, stifle and milk wells.

Questions and answers

What is the top of a cow's head called?

The poll: the top of the head between the ears, where horns grow on horned cattle. The front of the face below it is the forehead, then the bridge of the nose and the muzzle.

What are the hooks and pins on a cow?

The hooks are the hip bones at the front of the rump, and the pins, or pin bones, are at the back beside the tail head. The rump runs between them.

How many teats does a cow have?

Four, one on each quarter of the udder. The udder is divided into the fore udder at the front and the rear udder at the back.

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