Cattle Rack Rancher
Well-known member
I think I posted this awhile back but those of you who are newer may not have seen it. I've heard it was quite a sight watching these cows walk around with their mismatched twins.
Controlled Twinning to Increase Reproductive Rate
Brandon Research Centre initiated a joint project with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the University of British Columbia that is designed to improve reproductive efficiency by increasing twinning rates. The project entails breeding cows from the research herd at Brandon using artificial insemination and then doing embryo transfers to these same cows (opposite uterine horn) a week later. This work, which started in 1999 and produced one set of twins from a few cows under test, has been expanded to 80 cows. The beef cows at Brandon were synchronized for breeding on October 31st and artificially inseminated to beef breeds. A week later, embryos were transferred into the same groups of cows. The embryos were from Holstein cows bred to Holstein bulls.
Researchers plan to calculate breeding and feeding costs, as well as record such problems as calving complications that arise from twinning. It will take at least 10 years to learn how beef cattle owners can best manage twinning in their herds. If this research shows controlled twinning has merit for the cattle industry, guidelines will be developed.
Managing for twin production is seen as an opportunity for beef producers to increase their calf crop without feeding more cows. Instead of expanding and then trimming bred cow numbers to match the price cycle, beef producers could maintain a more constant number. The Beef Production Systems Research Program is looking for an inexpensive way to control the twinning rate in commercial beef herds. Twin births can increase profits for cow-calf programs. However, the attraction of twin-calf rearing is less obvious because of increased costs of feed, higher risks of dystocia, free-martin females, delayed return to estrus and conception, and poorer performance of twin calves. Twin calves are generally smaller than single calves at birth, but studies have shown that pre-weaning growth rate, weaning weight, and slaughter weight are either less than or equal to those for single-born calves. Consequently, there is little evidence to suggest that, after birth, the beef cow cannot successfully raise two calves instead of one.
To most producers, twins are a nuisance because management is set up for a cow with a single calf. The research and development potential of this work at Brandon Research Centre lies in its ability to deliver a management package for controlled twin-calf rearing.
Contact:
Julie Small, Research Scientist, Beef Reproductive Management
Controlled Twinning to Increase Reproductive Rate
Brandon Research Centre initiated a joint project with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the University of British Columbia that is designed to improve reproductive efficiency by increasing twinning rates. The project entails breeding cows from the research herd at Brandon using artificial insemination and then doing embryo transfers to these same cows (opposite uterine horn) a week later. This work, which started in 1999 and produced one set of twins from a few cows under test, has been expanded to 80 cows. The beef cows at Brandon were synchronized for breeding on October 31st and artificially inseminated to beef breeds. A week later, embryos were transferred into the same groups of cows. The embryos were from Holstein cows bred to Holstein bulls.
Researchers plan to calculate breeding and feeding costs, as well as record such problems as calving complications that arise from twinning. It will take at least 10 years to learn how beef cattle owners can best manage twinning in their herds. If this research shows controlled twinning has merit for the cattle industry, guidelines will be developed.
Managing for twin production is seen as an opportunity for beef producers to increase their calf crop without feeding more cows. Instead of expanding and then trimming bred cow numbers to match the price cycle, beef producers could maintain a more constant number. The Beef Production Systems Research Program is looking for an inexpensive way to control the twinning rate in commercial beef herds. Twin births can increase profits for cow-calf programs. However, the attraction of twin-calf rearing is less obvious because of increased costs of feed, higher risks of dystocia, free-martin females, delayed return to estrus and conception, and poorer performance of twin calves. Twin calves are generally smaller than single calves at birth, but studies have shown that pre-weaning growth rate, weaning weight, and slaughter weight are either less than or equal to those for single-born calves. Consequently, there is little evidence to suggest that, after birth, the beef cow cannot successfully raise two calves instead of one.
To most producers, twins are a nuisance because management is set up for a cow with a single calf. The research and development potential of this work at Brandon Research Centre lies in its ability to deliver a management package for controlled twin-calf rearing.
Contact:
Julie Small, Research Scientist, Beef Reproductive Management
