Cow with twins

[Jdc]

I have a cow with twins that are 3 months old both are milking off moma
She don't have enough milk because both are small
Can I take one off and feed grain in pen and let other one stay on moma
She has had twins 2 years in a row should she go to sale great cow and moma

 

[Travlr]

I have a cow with twins that are 3 months old both are milking off moma
She don't have enough milk because both are small
Can I take one off and feed grain in pen and let other one stay on moma
She has had twins 2 years in a row should she go to sale great cow and moma

I don't like having cows that twin, and I won't have them. To me, they are more trouble than they are worth. Early in my experience I had a cow that I really liked for all kinds of reasons and she had twins every year after her first single... and she broke me of tolerating cows that twinned.

 

[mwj]

Is there a chance that she and the calves can be fed separately. It takes extra energy to produce more milk. If not can the calves be given a creep feeder?

 

[NIdahoShorthorns]

At three months it seems like you should be able to set up a creep feeder to get the calves some grower pellets, or some other high protein feed, to compensate for the lack of milk. Personally, I'd be done with all three at the earliest possible exit that makes sense.

 

[Dave]

I don't mind twins. It seems there is always a need for a graft calf. I just leave them on the cow until the graft is needed but 3 months. Well before that the graft would be needed or not. If not needed one of them would get a trip to town.

 

[TCRanch]

I had a set of twins last year and mama raised them both, but I supplemented her with extra cubes and got the calves on starter when they were about 2 months. They were in the pasture with the herd, but it was surprisingly easy to feed them separately because mama figured out the drill pretty fast. She would either bring the twins to the cattle guard every morning and wait for me or separate from the herd until I found them.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

I have a cow with twins that are 3 months old both are milking off moma
She don't have enough milk because both are small
Can I take one off and feed grain in pen and let other one stay on moma
She has had twins 2 years in a row should she go to sale great cow and moma

Please add your location to your name. Twins can be a blessing or a curse, or somewhere in between. It depends on you as the farmer/rancher/producer for the most part. If you are not familiar with cattle/bovine twins though, become familiar with what a "free martin" is real quick. If you are producing hamburger or pets, it's not a problem. If you are trying to increase your herd size, it won't grow this way.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Mine that twinned frequently normally raised them both just fine. One year another cow that lost one, I crated her and grafted one twin on that cow.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Shes gotten them this far. Personally, with the spring flush of grass coming on, I'd leave them alone. Their rumens should be developing ahead of schedule.
Otherwise, with prices the way are, I'd sell one of em

 

[farmerjan]

We don't breed for twins, but they are fine with me. Most of the cows can seem to raise them pretty well... they might be a little smaller, but total weaned weight is more than a single. Last year one cow had a bull/heifer set. She did pretty good with them, and they did not get creep fed since they were quite a bit away from the barn. Pasture was good and cow milked adequately. Together, they brought a bit over 2100.... with steers bringing 15-1700 head the heifer was a bonus calf.
We will pull a twin to graft on another cow if needed. Have 2 with twins this year. Both sets are mixed male and female. One set is doing good and one of the twins steals some off another cow that has a good amount of milk and her calf is growing like gangbusters, so not a problem. We will be sure to put those 2 cows/ with the 3 calves, at the same pasture so it can continue to steal some. The other cow's twins were very small, and they are doing okay... But will pull one to go on a first calf heifer that we found her 4 day old calf dead this morning.. no idea what happened. Hope to get it grafted on her so we don't lose her lactation. That older cow will do better with just one calf but the 2 are managing and she is a good momma also.
I will not sell a cow because she has had twins. Pulling a good sized one off and selling as a baby calf for $5-900 if it has had a little start on the cow is a good return. Many times a cow will not take both but we have been lucky that nearly all will take both... sometimes they get to keep both, sometimes they get separated for whatever reason. I like having my own "replacement calf" in case of a dead calf or something that happens.

 

[farmerjan]

@Jdc ... in the case of your twins being 3 months. I totally agree with trying to set up some sort of creep gate where they will come in and can get started on some grain. They will get more nutrition, and continue to get some milk as they transition.
I have a creep gate into a small lot attached to a shed type barn... I have baby calves coming in there by the time they are a month old... curiosity... following any of the bottle calves or even the older calves that have learned to come in... they start trying the feed, and next thing they are at the bunk eating a little grain. Mostly I have my nurse cow and first calf heifers at this field... it helps to give the calves a little extra and they also learn to be calmer around people... and they wean easier as they are eating decently and will go to the bunk for feed when the momma's are moved out. I don't try to really supplement them much... might feed a partial 5 gal bucket to 4-8 calves... just gives them a little, and teaches them to come when they see me drive into the field up to the barn. Easy to shut a gate against the creep gate when they are all in...
They like the shade in there in the summer and a little protection in the winter against cold rain and snow... but they come and go as they please.
I think your twins would benefit from that more than trying to separate one from the cow... and weaning together would have them already knowing what the routine was.

 

[Jdc]

Please add your location to your name. Twins can be a blessing or a curse, or somewhere in between. It depends on you as the farmer/rancher/producer for the most part. If you are not familiar with cattle/bovine twins though, become familiar with what a "free martin" is real quick. If you are producing hamburger or pets, it's not a problem. If you are trying to increase your herd size, it won't grow this way.

All calves go to sell so it's different

 

[NIdahoShorthorns]

We don't breed for twins, but they are fine with me. Most of the cows can seem to raise them pretty well... they might be a little smaller, but total weaned weight is more than a single. Last year one cow had a bull/heifer set.

Isn't this combination the one that is almost certain to be a freemartin? And if so why would you keep any of these genetics in your herd? I could see keeping the cow until she's no longer profitable, if you intend to sell all offspring.

 

[bird dog]

Give mom some extra cubes. She can take care of the rest up until the calves are 5 months. Sell one then.

 

[farmerjan]

Isn't this combination the one that is almost certain to be a freemartin? And if so why would you keep any of these genetics in your herd? I could see keeping the cow until she's no longer profitable, if you intend to sell all offspring.

Yes, it is 90% chance that the heifer is a freemartin... She gets sold as a feeder... the bull is always good but we sell our steers as feeders. Just because she has a set of twins does not make her genetics "lacking" in any way. Over the years we have had no sets to one set to 4 sets one year... I had one cow that had 13 lactations.... over her lifetime.... one set of mixed twins and one set of heifers and one set of bulls... plus 10 times she had singles... and had 7 heifers and 3 bulls out of them. She was nearly 17 when she went down with a 5 mo bull calf on her and I put her down. I have kept many of her heifers and not one has had a set of twins...
I do not say there is not a genetic disposition to twins, but like in sheep or goats, nutrition plays a big part in when you are getting them ready for breeding. We call it "flushing" in the sheep... and it causes multiple eggs to be released which is very desirable in sheep and goats. Not so much in cattle, but last year we had some very good pasture in one place and both of the cows that had twins this year were at that pasture.. so same bull sired both sets as he was running with the cows there.
By the way, one dairy that I tested for over 30 years had quite a few sets of twins... more mixed sets than not. We kept track when 2 different "free martins" were coming in regular heats as he had kept them for heat detecting the "good heifers".... and they got bred when the farmer was away one week... Came up pregnant. He had always sold his freemartins before that. So, he started keeping them, and he wound up with nearly 40% of them being good and coming into the milking herd... So it is not always that they are not good. He did use some of them as "heat detectors" since there was no way they could breed the heifers, and often the ones that were not "good" were more active at riding the others when in heat.
That said, I do not keep the heifers that are twin to a bull because my luck they would be 99.99999% freemartins. I have no problem keeping heifers that are twin to another heifer.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

If one was so inclined to keep a heifer that was a twin to a bull there is a blood teat available for $55 to see if she's a freemartin.

For the first time I have a heifer that I'm thinking of blood testing this spring. She's one of the nicest looking heifers from last fall and weaned the heaviest in spite of being a twin.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

We haven't heard from @Jeanne - Simme Valley yet. She has a good number of cows that calve twins. I know she does not mind them. She doesn't select for them either.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Yes, it is 90% chance that the heifer is a freemartin... She gets sold as a feeder... the bull is always good but we sell our steers as feeders. Just because she has a set of twins does not make her genetics "lacking" in any way. Over the years we have had no sets to one set to 4 sets one year... I had one cow that had 13 lactations.... over her lifetime.... one set of mixed twins and one set of heifers and one set of bulls... plus 10 times she had singles... and had 7 heifers and 3 bulls out of them. She was nearly 17 when she went down with a 5 mo bull calf on her and I put her down. I have kept many of her heifers and not one has had a set of twins...
I do not say there is not a genetic disposition to twins, but like in sheep or goats, nutrition plays a big part in when you are getting them ready for breeding. We call it "flushing" in the sheep... and it causes multiple eggs to be released which is very desirable in sheep and goats. Not so much in cattle, but last year we had some very good pasture in one place and both of the cows that had twins this year were at that pasture.. so same bull sired both sets as he was running with the cows there.
By the way, one dairy that I tested for over 30 years had quite a few sets of twins... more mixed sets than not. We kept track when 2 different "free martins" were coming in regular heats as he had kept them for heat detecting the "good heifers".... and they got bred when the farmer was away one week... Came up pregnant. He had always sold his freemartins before that. So, he started keeping them, and he wound up with nearly 40% of them being good and coming into the milking herd... So it is not always that they are not good. He did use some of them as "heat detectors" since there was no way they could breed the heifers, and often the ones that were not "good" were more active at riding the others when in heat.
That said, I do not keep the heifers that are twin to a bull because my luck they would be 99.99999% freemartins. I have no problem keeping heifers that are twin to another heifer.

I believe there is a test to determine if a heifer is a free martin if a free martin is a possibility. As @farmerjan indicated, most are assumed to be free martins or are 'gambled' on. The test probably isn't used near as often as it should be.

 

[Silver]

I have two cows raising twins this year. Same as last year. I only leave them on the cow if I think she has the milk and I don't end up with a cow to graft to. I keep them on a smaller tame breeding pasture with a group of heifers for the summer when this situation arises.
Last year both cows weaned 1300 lbs of calf each. So that worked out. We had 12 sets this year and had 23 live calves.

 

[OBAX]

Let them get to 4 months old and wean them early would be my vote.
I can't understand anybody in the cattle business not wanting 2 calves instead of 1. It's a home run, especially in this market. Another option is just pull the calves now and take the to the sale barn. They'll bring you $1600 or more just like they stand.