Calving at Simme Valley with Java

[Travlr]

I have a lot of twins. Simmental are fertile myrtles. They have a higher percentage of twins than other breeds. But, I have not seen increased twins out of twins.

A BIG red flag for me... It seems like a lot of people here are pretty easy about taking their chances with twins, but it's just one more complication in an already complicated world to me. I avoided any cattle with twins in their background if I could and fortunately didn't have much problem with it. Twinning was an automatic cull for me, male or female side.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Not me. I have numerous twin females in my herd. One of the first ones I kept - 03S, her dam had had about 5 sets of twins. 03S finally had a set at the age of 14. Raised both heifers thru the winter and came up open at age of 15 so I shipped her. Sold 1 daughter in PB sale and still have the other. I have never seen a connection of sons (sold) or daughters having more twins.

 

[Travlr]

Not me. I have numerous twin females in my herd. One of the first ones I kept - 03S, her dam had had about 5 sets of twins. 03S finally had a set at the age of 14. Raised both heifers thru the winter and came up open at age of 15 so I shipped her. Sold 1 daughter in PB sale and still have the other. I have never seen a connection of sons (sold) or daughters having more twins.

From Google: Individual propensity is not necessarily genetic in origin, but pedigree studies (for reviews see refs 1, 2) confirm that twinning is a family trait.

Also, Twinning in dairy cattle is caused by many different factors, both genetic (i.e., inherited) and non-genetic (i.e., animal management). In dairy operations, twinning is an undesirable trait associated with other reproductive and metabolic diseases, higher operational costs, and higher rates of culling on farm.

Tracing back any twins I've had, they've always been from cows that twinned within two generations. And probably more importantly to me... the cows that don't twin don't have twins in their background.

 

[mwj]

I would take the word of someone with real world experience over information from a quick search on the internet.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I totally agree with not wanting twins. They are generally the most work for calving season. But, they have been lucrative for me.
It seems like it was ABS that tried to develop a line of twinners (why, I'll never know), but they were trying to have bulls that would produce twins. To the best of what I remember, the program failed.

 

[Travlr]

I would take the word of someone with real world experience over information from a quick search on the internet.

Ya know... it's a no win situation. When I example my experience I am derided as using "anecdotal evidence". When I use my credentials I am thought to be biased and/or "part of the system". And when I use a quick internet search which provides well established information that anyone can access... somebody invariably says something about how that information must be questioned because it's not "real world experience".

 

[Travlr]

I totally agree with not wanting twins. They are generally the most work for calving season. But, they have been lucrative for me.
It seems like it was ABS that tried to develop a line of twinners (why, I'll never know), but they were trying to have bulls that would produce twins. To the best of what I remember, the program failed.

Yeah? That's interesting. I'd heard something about some people selecting for twins too, and in the end they didn't find it economically viable.

The trick has to be the number of live births and somehow cows can't reliably deliver. It's too bad, because it would be amazing if cows could do what sheep do in terms of natural ability to birth twins. Or maybe it's not too bad, I don't really know. The economic impact to the industry would change things. Not sure if good or bad...

 

[Rmc]

Ya know... it's a no win situation. When I example my experience I am derided as using "anecdotal evidence". When I use my credentials I am thought to be biased and/or "part of the system". And when I use a quick internet search which provides well established information that anyone can access... somebody invariably says something about how that information must be questioned because it's not "real world experience".

Pot meet kettle.
Kind of ironic hearing that from you of all people!

 

[Travlr]

Pot meet kettle.
Kind of ironic hearing that from you of all people!

I might deserve that to some extent... But it really all comes down to knowing how any logic is applied and whether the person making claims can adequately explain the logic in what they are talking about.

Still... you have to have someone willing to listen and if you can't fit logic into what they already know it's gonna be a crap shoot.

 

[gcreekrch]

Not me. I have numerous twin females in my herd. One of the first ones I kept - 03S, her dam had had about 5 sets of twins. 03S finally had a set at the age of 14. Raised both heifers thru the winter and came up open at age of 15 so I shipped her. Sold 1 daughter in PB sale and still have the other. I have never seen a connection of sons (sold) or daughters having more twins.

We have friends with 500 high percentage Simmental cows. It is very normal for them to get up to 70 sets in a year and many of the both stay on the cow. They calve in March and April, wean ans sell off the cow in late October. The light steers will weigh 685 and the big brothers will be a liner load weighing mid 800 lbs, another load will weigh 740ish. But the cows….. the culls weigh 1800 to a ton. They would die here…

 

[Silver]

Twin calves sell awful easy for cash money just as soon as they are going on the bottle. Sooner if someone is looking for a graft calf. It's nice to get a little folding money now and then.
I will sometimes leave a full set on a cow that looks capable and run her with a group of heifers in a smaller breeding pasture and get away with it. But I have seen very few cows hang onto both calves in 10,000 acres of trees and swamps.

 

[gcreekrch]

Twin calves sell awful easy for cash money just as soon as they are going on the bottle. Sooner if someone is looking for a graft calf. It's nice to get a little folding money now and then.
I will sometimes leave a full set on a cow that looks capable and run her with a group of heifers in a smaller breeding pasture and get away with it. But I have seen very few cows hang onto both calves in 10,000 acres of trees and swamps.

They have a pasture just for twins. The rest go fight the wolves.