2 headed calf

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tater74

tater74

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Falls County, Texas
Had a cow that didn't come up for feed yesterday.
Found her down giving birth. She seemed to be struggling a bit getting the head out, so I went back to the house for a rope to help pull if needed.
When I got back she had gotten the head out and was pushing the rest out so I backed off. She got up and started cleaning it up and I left.

went out this morning to check on them. Calf was on the ground in the same spot, cow standing over it. Got close enough to see that the calf was 2 headed. No wonder she had a hard time with it.
The calf had not eaten and was weak. I dispatched the calf.

Should I give the cow another chance?

Anyone want it before I toss it in the ditch?
 
I remember going to the fair in my younger days and they had a two head bull under a big top you paid to get to see. There was a long line and yes I paid to see also. Try to save the calf and give the cow another chance. Try your best to save the calf as if nothing else a good conservation piece. Not many two headed calves around. Good luck.
 
tater74 said:
Had a cow that didn't come up for feed yesterday.
Found her down giving birth. She seemed to be struggling a bit getting the head out, so I went back to the house for a rope to help pull if needed.
When I got back she had gotten the head out and was pushing the rest out so I backed off. She got up and started cleaning it up and I left.

went out this morning to check on them. Calf was on the ground in the same spot, cow standing over it. Got close enough to see that the calf was 2 headed. No wonder she had a hard time with it.
The calf had not eaten and was weak. I dispatched the calf.

Should I give the cow another chance?

Anyone want it before I toss it in the ditch?
Click to expand...
It's probably worth some money to the right person. At the least, post some pictures...

I would have tried to save the calf. It would have been worth more alive than tossed in a ditch. Too late now.
 
To your question about whether or not to give the cow another chance, I would be inclined to if she’s a good cow. I would consider several factors though to try to ferret out the possibility of a genetic defect.
I would ask is she a mature cow that has had more calves than that one for you?
I do know that in the Angus breed there was a genetic defect called Developmental Duplication or (DD) and f an animal is a DD carrier or (DDC) then that means if an animal is mated to another carrier of DDC then it’s very likely to have some sort of resulting issue from that trait. I understand that lot of times if there is something wrong then the cow’s pregnancy will often end due to abortion early on and most people will just assume the cow didn’t get bred on time when she comes up open.
Also from what I understand a lot of times DD will manifest as extra limbs on the neck or shoulder, or maybe just small protrusions. Two heads or conjoined twins can also result from it.
It could be just a freak one off thing, but if both cow and bull are Angus or both have Angus in them it could be genetic.
Has the cow had a calf by that particular bull before?
A very popular Angus bull from years ago was a carrier of DD, a lot of cattle were and are potential carriers.
 
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Uncle had two Hereford calves with deformities. a 5 legged calf born several years ago . Back leg , double bones from the knee joint down . Two hooves . Butcher said everything was perfect about the bones . That leg was about 3-4 inches shorter . The other was a cleft pallet calf . Poor thing would nurse and milk would run out the side with the cleft . We bottled fed it and started it on creep feed but it lost more than it got ! We finally put it down . It had a face only its mother could have loved .
 
Holy cow! Do you have a local Extension or Veterinary College that would want it for research? Maybe ask your vet.

I'd certainly give the cow another chance. I get not having any real history on her, but if she can spit out a 2 headed calf without assistance, she definitely has a large enough pelvis to deliver some darn big calves.
 

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