Calving23

[BFE]

Here is a copy of the MARC research:

Productivity of twins and triplets

Cows have the capacity to gestate twin calves, but not without decreased survival and body weight due to uterine crowding, researchers at USDA's Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) conclude. The effects of increasing fetal numbers (twins and triplets) and their distribution between the left and...

www.beefmagazine.com

It was more likely .8% and 1.3% - that sounds a lot more realistic!! LOL Whatever, I generally get my 1% share!!

Don't Simmentals have a higher rate of twinning?

I had a set earlier this week.

 

[Travlr]

Here is a copy of the MARC research:

Productivity of twins and triplets

Cows have the capacity to gestate twin calves, but not without decreased survival and body weight due to uterine crowding, researchers at USDA's Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) conclude. The effects of increasing fetal numbers (twins and triplets) and their distribution between the left and...

www.beefmagazine.com

It was more likely .8% and 1.3% - that sounds a lot more realistic!! LOL Whatever, I generally get my 1% share!!

Jeanne, I've been watching the news and it sounds like you are going to get some real cold. Wishing you the very best and hoping everything comes through in good shape. If nothing else, know you are getting some warm thoughts. I'm sure all of us on the forum are waiting to hear from you after the bad weather.

 

[farmerjan]

I've tried to find any mention of the male animal being the carrier for twinning genes, especially related to your exampled facility, but haven't found anything. If you have a link I'd be interested in reading their study.

I remember that there were a few bulls that were touted to be "twin producers.... only saw them for a few years....Maybe Select Sires had one?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I know MARC did research on twins - but seems like Select Sires actually was trying to develop a line of bulls for twins. Not sure if it was SS, but that sounds right.
Weather - it has been brutally cold today. -8 with wind blowing = about -25F feel.
Travlr
We calve in pens in the barn. Keep in 24 -48 hours. We turned the last 3 born out yesterday morning. Brought all 3 pairs back into pens this am. Calves had not figured out how to go into their sheds. They were REAL happy to get in barn - so were the cows! We knew the weather was coming, so we fed heavy yesterday so we didn't have to start tractor today. Cold tonight thru morning, but warming up tomorrow. The wind is the bad thing.
We get "lake affect" snow. The sun is up in the sky, you can see it, but when the wind blows like that, it picks up moisture from the Great lakes and drops snow on us. We have constant white outs. Between the snow picked up from the lakes, it picks up the snow that we already have on the ground and causes the white outs. I'm sure a lot of you know what I'm talking about. It's not "really" a storm. We can see the sun, it's just muted from the snow on our level.

 

[Dubcharo]

It will be a cold night!

 

[lithuanian farmer]

We once used our homebred bull for one year. He was born as a single calf. His dam and granddam did had twins once each. Out of 8 two his daughters had twins once, one daughter twice in a row and one granddaughter from the fourth daughter had twins once. That one line is almost the only one giving uas twins. There are sometimes a set from a different breeding, but those sure are more common to produce a set.

 

[Dubcharo]

Second pair of twins, 2 males 70 and 80lbs The second was backward and had to be pulled but the way was open for that smaller one.

 

[Dubcharo]

Third pair today, 2 males. Near 100 cows done calving.

 

[Dubcharo]

2 females for the 4th pair… dam had twins last year too.

 

[Travlr]

2 females for the 4th pair… dam had twins last year too.
View attachment 26593

Have you lost any twins this year? Percentage of live births? Had any trouble with cows accepting twins?

Gotta admit I'm surprised at all the pics of successful births.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I don't know if it means anything, but I've NEVER had a Charolais bottle calf!

 

[Dubcharo]

Have you lost any twins this year? Percentage of live births? Had any trouble with cows accepting twins?

Gotta admit I'm surprised at all the pics of successful births.

We have a cow who aborted twins at 7 months, the other 4 cows have theirs twins on them but I see them steal milk on others cows.
Charolais have twins at a rate of 4-5%. We have 120 cows so 4-6 pairs each year is normal for us.
We loose around 1 pair mostly before the end of gestion. At calving time we may loose 1-2 calves (from twins), often it’s a bad positioning. We saw 1 time 2 full breach, we had to call a vet and he saved them. This year we saw 1 backwards the rest was normal presentation. We need a little luck from time to time and we all know that bad luck occur too.
When a cow is in a box (calving pen) with her twins there is no problems accepting the calves. We let them 1 or 2 weeks in a box and we have to check them carefully 2-3 days when we release them in the free stall.
The last cow with twins calved last year on the 6 of April and she calved this year the 23 of February. She advance 40 days with twins 2 years in a row, she’s a machine!

 

[Lee VanRoss]

I don't know if it means anything, but I've NEVER had a Charolais bottle calf!

Call Fence before you think about it!