Look What We Found This Morning !

[waihou]

Well we've got Murray Greys and last year had 2 sets of twins from 33 cows calving. Haven't had twins for a few years, I suppose perhaps 3 previous sets in 30 years. Used a new bull last year, so just wondering what this years calving will bring-32 to calve in a months time.

 

[fit2btied]

...I was just wondering why so many twins in this forum and why we haven't had any?

You've just been lucky!

 

[Suzie Q]

We do have a murray grey as well. I guess we just continue what we are doing and hope we are still 'lucky'.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

On average beef breeds have 8% twinning (Simmentals are about 13% last I heard, but that was many years ago).
Twinning is more prevalent with high nutrition. Fertility is highly correlated to nutrition.
Here's a link to BCS:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/beef/400-795/photos1-9.html
I would say she is a 4 - 4.5 - not ideal for the stress of nursing a set of twins. Twins draw down BCS on most all cows - in and out of the cow.

 

[1wlimo]

the stress of twins milking a cow is dependant on the cow.

Out of 370 ish Limo full and pure bred calvings here I have had a single set of twins, one left on mom, and the other placed with a second twin from a comercial cow on an old milk cow. The milk cow had been milking in a local dairy herd for like 18 months, then raised three calves in a year, and supplimented a few more.

Comercial cow twins here I guess were around the 2% mark. Only two sets remained as twins the rest pulled off. Calving ease wise I have not helped in most of the twins. Generally assistance has been below 5%, even this spring when I had 120 heifers.

 

[robert]

we get twins most every year in the registered herd, but the commercial herd of about 80 cows hasn't seen a single set of twins in 12 years, til this year and we got 3 of em, 1st was bull and heifer clubby sired, second was an old angus cow with twin heifers and finished up with another old commercial cow with twin bulls. Sold the freemartin twin and one of the last set born.

 

[TexasBred]

Only twins I've had with beef cattle was three sets out of the same cow in 6 pregnancies. Registered brangus cow, AI bred each time.... raised all 6 calves and when weighed back in March weighed 1690 with two bull calves weaned about 2 weeks.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Some cows have & raise twins "without blinking" - no problem. I'm just saying that this cow is already thin - possibly because of the twins being raised in her. Poster said they were good size, probably coming off the back of the cow. For her to put out enough milk, increase her body condition score (BCS), AND get rebred is going to be challenging. Unless the poster does not have a "calving season", it could be difficult to get this cow rebred in a timely manner.
Now, I'm basing this on AVERAGE situations - there are always exceptions. Some cows can be skinny as a rail & cycle & rebreed in 30-40 days like clockwork. We are dealing with live animals and they tend to make a liar out of us. :banana:

 

[3waycross]

I have been a reader of this forum for about 2 + years and this was my very first post, but not my first rodeo or my first set of twins in my 40 years of raising cattle 80+ beef cattle.. But this was my first and last post on this forum! yep you can bet your augus cow dude on that...

Check your PM's

 

[dun]

I have been a reader of this forum for about 2 + years and this was my very first post, but not my first rodeo or my first set of twins in my 40 years of raising cattle 80+ beef cattle.. But this was my first and last post on this forum! yep you can bet your augus cow dude on that...

Check your PM's

True to her word she hasn;t been back since she posted that she wouldn;t be back