Twins

[ArrowHBrand]

Has anyone ever heard of this before? A few years ago my wife and I bought a Shorty heifer at an auction in Des Moines. The first year we bred her to Kool and she aborted about a month early with twins. The next year we bred her to Bad Moon Rising and she had a set of twin bull calves. Both of them lived and we ended up doing pretty well showing one of them. Then she ended up getting bred by the cleanup bull and what do you know, she had a bull and a heifer. The heifer was dead when we found them, but she had had the calves in a mud hole. Go figure. Three different bulls and a mixture of breeds. Opinions?

 

[msscamp]

Yes, I've heard of it. I don't know if he is still doing it, but there was a guy in Nebraska (I think, but can't really remember) that heavily based his selection of cows on their twinning ability. As I understand it - twinning is hereditary on the maternal side so, based on this particular animals apparent predilication to twin, it wouldn't really matter what bull you bred her to, she would still probably deliver twins.

 

[remsteel6]

you are correct, twinning is hereditary just like in sheep and people do select for it. Not many cattle breeders do however.
The heritability is low however as it is for most reproductive traits.

 

[donnaIL]

We have a cow that has had twins 2 out of 3 years. one set dead others she did not care for. she's history...alot of trouble. donna

 

[KNERSIE]

Back when my dad still had the dairy he had a friesian cow that had four sets of twin heifers in four years, her fifth calving was the only bull and also the only single calf. She then failed to conceive after the single bull calf and was culled.

 

[Keren]

I used to work on a Poll Hereford stud, which had a cow that had three sets of twins in three consecutive years. Always heifers, and she raised them all herself, and they were always the best calves of the group. Amazing cow. I'm not in contact with them anymore, so I dont know whether she has kept it up, and how the daughters are doing, though.

 

[sidney411]

Having twins has nothing to do with the bull. It's the cow that releases 2 eggs, if they are fraternal and not identical twins. If identical twins there is one egg that splits. It is hard to tell if calves are idential or fraternal sometimes. It is actually possible for a cow to have 1/2 sibling twins if she releases 2 eggs and is serviced by 2 bulls in the same heat.

 

[ArrowHBrand]

After her third set in three years she was looking really rough. She was on meds for a while and then out to pasture but she never gained the weight back. We decided to cut our losses and sell the cow and calf as a pair. Better to do that than to pay for rendering service.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

good choice!
If you haven't heard - I HATE TWINS!!!

 

[TB-Herefords]

I've got some char/angus cross cows; last year one of the girls claved a healthy bull calve and wasn't bagged at all. Two weeks later she bagged up and had a small healthy Heifer calve. Both made it to weaning great. Although the Heifer was light. Bottle fed both for about a month.

 

[ArrowHBrand]

The second set of twins she had were bull calves. We had another cow abort and we put her in with the Shorty and her twins hoping she could help milk. Luckily things worked out and she helped milk both calves, it was like the twins had two momma cows! When we weaned both could be heard voicing their opposition!