Today, we had our fourth set of twins. With 32 cows calved out, we are halfway through. I sure hope that's it, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Some of those cows look pretty big. I asked my husband what we did differently last year, and he said, "we got rain." :shock: Gosh, I hope we don't have it worse next year, with as wet as it is right now!
Twins - make them stop!
- Thread starter Jessica06
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cow pollinater
Well-known member
I hear you. I bought nine registered bred cows a few years ago and had four sets of twins. :shock: I was really polite about it but I called the previous owner and asked what his sync program looked like and if he had hired help giving the shots as all I could think was super-ovulation but he had done it himself and he was just as perplexed as I was... None of them have done it since(but we have been in a drought for four years).
kjonesel
Well-known member
We had our first set in over seven years a week ago Monday. The first calf was fine, though we had to bring it inside to warm it up. The second one appeared to have been dead in the uterus as it had been slightly less advanced and was beginning to deteriate within the sac it was in. I know that Gelbvieh are prone to have twins but we always hope not to have them.
TB521":1q3z247a said:
You saw this happen?
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
I am getting ready to sell my set of Angus twins at 6 mos.. Steer and heifer.
I don't usually sell at the sale barn. Do they group them with others? Sell individual or what?
I don't usually sell at the sale barn. Do they group them with others? Sell individual or what?
Supa Dexta
Well-known member
I've seen an eagle grab afterbirth and barely be able to clear the tree line next to a field. In fact he didn't clear it, the afterbirth caught a tree and sent the eagle tumbling in mid air. He tried to retrieve it, but crows showed up and a big commotion ensued.. Either way, if an eagle can hardly haul off an after birth, a hawk sure ain't taking a whole calf.
Nesikep
Well-known member
Pictures, or it didn't happen! I would love to see them.
Theres a video on youtube of a golden eagle in spain that hauls off good sized mountain goat kids off the mountain.. he doesn't gain elevation, but he was able to hold steady.. was very impressive.
A golden eagle here couldn't carry off a coyote and we saw him want to... Taking off with something is a lot different than swooping down and picking it up.
Twins?? Mega should do herself a favor and have twins.. but I doubt she will.. I have 2 other first calf heifers that are as wide as she is.. I'd rather have a pair than one too big!
Theres a video on youtube of a golden eagle in spain that hauls off good sized mountain goat kids off the mountain.. he doesn't gain elevation, but he was able to hold steady.. was very impressive.
A golden eagle here couldn't carry off a coyote and we saw him want to... Taking off with something is a lot different than swooping down and picking it up.
Twins?? Mega should do herself a favor and have twins.. but I doubt she will.. I have 2 other first calf heifers that are as wide as she is.. I'd rather have a pair than one too big!
bigbull338
Well-known member
enjoy them twins.its always nice to have live twins.i look at it as extra money in the bank.as long as the cow is ok and can raise them.
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
Thank you RB. I am pretty naive when it comes to the sale barns. If I have time, I will run over there and check it out before I get ready to sell.ricebeltrancher":2nufbjtf said:
Here's a pic of the little pot bellies. They are going to get a worming and another round of vaccines tomorrow. I don't know if I am just used to my Brangus or what, but they sure don't look very attractive to me! :lol:
[img]http://i881.photobucket.com/al...ads/IMG_20150226_102152_zpscdf16e0a.jpg[/img][/url]
It was suppose to be a joke I don't guess anyone got it. I had a heifer have a little 30 pound heifer on Saturday looked all over for a second calf couldn't find one I told my wife if she two a hawk carried the other one offTennesseeTuxedo":g3lieyn5 said:
Supa Dexta
Well-known member
30 lbs! I once knew a cat that was 28.. I just can't imagine a calf that size.
I had a calf once that was 55 and I thought it was the tiniest thing ever. I certainly don't want one that small again.
I had a calf once that was 55 and I thought it was the tiniest thing ever. I certainly don't want one that small again.
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
My twins in the pic above were only 50 and 55 BW I was told. They are 5 months in this pic and half the size my Brangus are at that age.
1982vett
Well-known member
Nothing wrong with pulling one off. Healthy baby calves are fetching 4 bills here.
Last set I had was on a 3 teated cow. Pulled the bull calf off and sold it at 3 weeks. It weight 130 lbs. The other was a heifer sold at 7 months and it weight was 610. Just because they begin small doesn't mean they don't have the growth potential if they get the nourishment they need.
Last set I had was on a 3 teated cow. Pulled the bull calf off and sold it at 3 weeks. It weight 130 lbs. The other was a heifer sold at 7 months and it weight was 610. Just because they begin small doesn't mean they don't have the growth potential if they get the nourishment they need.
Big Cheese
Well-known member
Supa Dexta":tb27hcbc said:
We had one last Sunday that weighed about 25 pounds. My dad said it only weighed 15 but I don't agree. It was the smallest calf I had ever seen. Our beagle was bigger then it was. It didn't make it through the crazy winter storms we have been having since President's day. I didn't expect it to make it at all it was so small.
dirtfarmer1000
Member
I will take all the twins I can get, one year we had 6 in the first 12 cows and none after that. In general, I hope we get 10 percent plus, usually it is more like 5 to 7%. This year we are sitting at 14 sets in 135 cows calved. 13 of those sets had 2 live calves at birth, all but 2 have calved on their own, some on their 2nd and 3rd sets. I had one calf that was backwards born dead, had to pull another set that was tangled. Unfortunately 1 calf in 1 set was layed on by its mother an hour after birth and another calf in another set was stepped on in the barn. I now have 11 extra calves that I can use for grafting, or with a little extra groceries during the summer for both mom and babies, I have 1000 plus lbs of calf from a cow that would normally give me about 650 lbs at weaning. I keep every female from a f/f set for replacements in the hopes of twinning genetics carrying on in the offspring. I find that we have more twins if cows are fed well during their flushing process at rebreeding. In general, we get them during the 1st cycle of calving season, though that theory has not been completely true some years either. I do not buy calves or bring in calves for grafting on cows that have lost calves as we keep a closed herd for disease purposes. we had a wreck with scours one year bringing home calves from cows I had on feed in a feedlot and lost 25% of our calves from scours we could do nothing about. Twins help make a cow pay that would otherwise go dry and into the sell pen.
A few years ago I read about a university in the states doing research on the inheritability of twins and I believe they were at something like 25% twin rate.
A few years ago I read about a university in the states doing research on the inheritability of twins and I believe they were at something like 25% twin rate.
shortybreeder
Well-known member
healthy babies around here are getting $3.50-$4.50/lb and our typical bw is around 90lbs, but we can bottle feed them pasteurized milk from the dairy farm and get them up to 150-200lbs in no time then drop them off for about $600. If I could get twins out of every mature cow, it would be a good year. Would rather not have heifers with twins though.
I just had a cow in great shape, never had a problem calving before, excellent cow, six years old, have twins. Didn't weigh them, but having weighed calves recently I'm going to say one was 60 and one was 65 pounds. Both of them dead as a hammer. Cow looked like she had a rough time of it. They must have gotten tangled up, or tried to both come at the same time, or something. I would just as soon never have a cow have twins.
