BAGTIC
Well-known member
Has anyone ever heard of a program, private or public, to increase beef productivity by selective breeding to increase the rate of twinning?
Breeding for twinning?
- Thread starter BAGTIC
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Matt Schiel
Well-known member
Yes, MARC has done some research trials in increasing the frequency of twins. I want to say they increased the rate some, but nothing significant. From my experience, twinning is passed on, but not on the frequency to show a significant increase to be breeding for. For me, I hate twins, but we do have a good tract record in keeping both twins alive and wean off two healthy calves.
Matt
Matt
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
There was a huge effort underway some years back. Seems like it was Greenland that they shipped all the cattle to who had give birth to twins. It didn't matter what breed but they were more focused on dairy cattle. They were looking for twin repeaters and actually had some. It is out there on the net and you can probably find it by googling.
I had a cow give birth to twin heifers (not a free martin case) and I did a lot of internet reading back then. I found that info from the Greenland (I think that was the locale) very interesting and informative. I learned quite a bit. I actually double checked some sources to confirm the scenarios they were postulating and they were actually on the up and up.
I had a cow give birth to twin heifers (not a free martin case) and I did a lot of internet reading back then. I found that info from the Greenland (I think that was the locale) very interesting and informative. I learned quite a bit. I actually double checked some sources to confirm the scenarios they were postulating and they were actually on the up and up.
BAGTIC":zwvn845x said:
Yes. There was a guy somewhere in Nebraska (I think) that selected his cows based on their twinning ability. I don't know if he's still doing it or not, though. If you google "Selecting Cows based on Twinning" (without the quotation marks), you'll get quite a number of hits on this topic.
msscamp":1pd7wqol said:
ABS used to carry semen on bulls that were sold as twinners, i.e., their daughters had a higher then normal instance of twinning. They haven't ;listed the stuff now for years.
An easier search is "cattle twinner", there are links to a twinner newsletter, MARC research, etc.
dun
Tod Dague
Well-known member
Our embryologist had told me that there were some people that would implant an embryo in the horn opposite of the CL seven days after being bred so they would have twins. He also said it wasn't a very good practice.
We had a set of male/female twins last fall, out of the best cow on the place. I know it's something like a 90% chance or so the heifer's a freemartin, but we kept her around as an experiment. I've seen her in heat since she's been weaned and appears normal visually, we'll see if she breeds later this year.
cfpinz
cfpinz
Personally I wouldn't mind if I never get twins again. Had two sets the last season. Had to pull one set because they entered the birth canal simultaneously, one normal the other backwards.
The other set of twins are two good heifers out of a good AI bull, but that is just too hard on the cow under range conditions.
Not even to mention the risk of freemartins
The other set of twins are two good heifers out of a good AI bull, but that is just too hard on the cow under range conditions.
Not even to mention the risk of freemartins
andybob
Well-known member
I believe the freemartin problem is the main reason for selection toward more twins not being well supported, most commercial breeders would just prefer to have cows which will consistantly produce and raise a healthy calf every year with the minimum cost and maintenence.
RainMan
Well-known member
I just weaned a pair and it is obvious the cow has taken a beating, and the twins are both small in comparison to the other calves. I would guess it would take a better than average cow and supplements to raise two "normal" sized twins (subjective on the "normal"). Don't know enough about the subject to really say "I like" or "Dislike" twinners at this point, but don't think I would try to breed for it.
CW
CW
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Matt Schiel":3cnu0cmm said:
I am with you I would rather have a dose of :clap: than twins. First if you don't have delivery problems then comes the rejection factor, old belle is going to have a heck of a time growing off those calf's without help out of a sack. No Thanks.
We had 2 sets of twins this year, both were bull/heifer (a first for us). The first set, the bull calf managed to wander up into the alley and was seperated long enough that mom wouldn't take him back so he was grafted onto a heifer that lost her calf. The second set, the bull was hugh, backwards, had nerve/spinal problems, and died about 24 hours after birth. I guess we are the exception, but we never allow a cow with twins to keep both twins in a pasture environment. If she has enough milk to raise both twins, the calves are pulled and she is treated like a nurse cow. If she does not have enough milk, the smaller twin is pulled and becomes a bottle calf or, if another cow loser her calf, the twin is grafted onto her.
Up until this year we had good luck with twins, then the law of averages caught up with us.
A former show cow dropped twin bulls about a week early, both were dead. She didn't clean and ended up with an infection that the vet thought would leave her infertile. So she's gone to hamburger heaven.
Another cow had the first of the twins coming tail first. I couldn't get it pushed in and get the legs up so we called the vet. He couldn't get the legs either but managed to get the second calf up first and get her out since she was facing the right direction. Then he had enough room to get the back legs up on the other calf. Both calves were dead on arrival. Turns out the calf who was coming backwards had a frozen hock joint so the leg wouldn't bend. Mom cleaned OK and acted normal but died overnight. We suspect all the maneuvering to get the calves out injured her uterous and she bled internally.
We do have a current herdsire who is a twin and his mother had enough milk to raise both very nicely. We hope he passes on that milk to his daughters.
About a third of our herd is descended from another herdsire who was out of a twin cow. So far we haven't seen increased twinning from his descendants.
A former show cow dropped twin bulls about a week early, both were dead. She didn't clean and ended up with an infection that the vet thought would leave her infertile. So she's gone to hamburger heaven.
Another cow had the first of the twins coming tail first. I couldn't get it pushed in and get the legs up so we called the vet. He couldn't get the legs either but managed to get the second calf up first and get her out since she was facing the right direction. Then he had enough room to get the back legs up on the other calf. Both calves were dead on arrival. Turns out the calf who was coming backwards had a frozen hock joint so the leg wouldn't bend. Mom cleaned OK and acted normal but died overnight. We suspect all the maneuvering to get the calves out injured her uterous and she bled internally.
We do have a current herdsire who is a twin and his mother had enough milk to raise both very nicely. We hope he passes on that milk to his daughters.
About a third of our herd is descended from another herdsire who was out of a twin cow. So far we haven't seen increased twinning from his descendants.
Matt Schiel":1dnwy01b said:
You are correct, the U.S. MARC in Clay Center Nebraska has been doing some studies and tests to see if they can breed for twinning. They have seen some increase but it hasnt been that much of an increase for people to start breeding for
