Twin Calves, Opinions

[vs_cattle]

What Is Your Opinion On
How Many Different Sets Of Twins Calves You Get
What makes it happend to certain females (Bull, Genetics, Feed, Luck, Other)

 

[KNERSIE]

Twins happen when a cow produces two eggs instead of one and both get fertilized each having its own placenta. So it is caused by the cow in the case of non-identical twins. Sometimes a fertilized egg splits for some reason and developes into two identical foetusses. This is just by chance and the cow played no part in this except for carrying both in one placenta in her womb for the gestation period.

So mostly twins are just caused by bad luck.

Certain cows that have twinned in the past will do so again, so genetics does play a role, but this is very inconsistent and even selection for twinners have proved very ineffective in past studies.

The added pounds in weaning weight of the two calves instead of one is usually offset by the hazzle of calving problems, orphaned calves, cows only accepting one calve and the battle to keep the cow in decent breeding condition to breed back and produce milk for two calves.

That why I said its bad luck.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I believe nutrition is extremely influencial on twins. First a cow has to be very fertile to produce two eggs, and the better condition she is in, the better chance she is fertile. So it is part genetics (fertile myrtles) and part BCS. There are always exceptions, but in general, I think these two are more important.

 

[Rangenerd]

I hate twins. 1 out of 100 cows will have twins. When we are choosing replacement heifers, being a twin is cause for being culled. Knersie is right having 2 calves is not worth the trouble. We don't even try to let the cow raise both. When I ride up on a set of new born twins, the one fartherest from momma get picked up and brought in for grafting on a cow that loses a calf.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I hate twins. 1 out of 100 cows will have twins. When we are choosing replacement heifers, being a twin is cause for being culled. Knersie is right having 2 calves is not worth the trouble. We don't even try to let the cow raise both. When I ride up on a set of new born twins, the one fartherest from momma get picked up and brought in for grafting on a cow that loses a calf.

Amen as I have said before I would rather have the :clap:
Twins are nothing but trouble.

 

[vs_cattle]

Thanks For The Comments

 

[goddy]

I'd agree that normally twins are a pain but if you just lost a calf its nice to find a set of twins to mother one on.
Breed and feed would be the 2 main factors IMO - Simmentals twin more than most other breeds and a lot of them have the milk and mothering ability to raise them both.
Goddy

 

[Farmhand]

This thread is interesting to me. We just got our first set of twins ever a couple weeks ago. Don't know how it happened. She has nevered twinned before. Haven't changed how we feed either. The only thing different is the bull. Got the cutest set of charlais heifers though. Penned them all together for about 4 days so momma was sure to know she had 2 instead of 1. Didn't have a problem after we let them out. Been keeping a watchful eye out for calves not getting enough milk or momma getting thin. So far so good.

 

[msscamp]

I would have to say luck of the draw. We've had a number of twins over the years, but never with the same cows. We had 2 sets in the spring of 2006, neither of the mothers had delivered twins before, and both sets were bull/heifer - a first for us as all of our previous sets of twins were same sex. One of the mothers was a 3 year old, the other was a 4 year old - neither of their mothers have ever twinned, and we haven't changed the way we feed, nor how the herd was managed, and the cows in question were bred by 2 different bulls. It's just one of those things.