Calving

[kato]

Been quiet around here lately. We're getting near done calving now, so I'd like to hear about how it's going for those other early calvers.

Sure have no weather complaints. Only really a couple of very cold nights to whine about.

What has been happening is twins, and lots of them. We've had 12 sets so far, which is a lot, even for us. The other day we heard about the quads born in SK, and even in the sheep group I belong to on Facebook, there have been reports of what can only be called litters of lambs.

Anyone else having extreme fertility showing up this spring? I'm thinking there must have been some really good feed around last spring.

[15444]

That's not what I wanted to hear. Not many calve early here anymore, most are March 15 at the earliest. Nothing here till May 1st. One set last year, 4 the year before, certainly not interested in any this year.

[kato]

We like twins. Five to seven sets is more of an average for us. Our cows don't seem to have problems raising them. It's quite surprising how well they can do. Our neighbor automatically sells his twins when they are born, and as far as we are concerned he's leaving money on the table.

Twelve extra calves puts a lot of extra money on the books next fall.

[grassfarmer]

I'm with kato - quite happy to propagate twin genetics. Usually get 3-4%, and rarely lose a twin calf. Sometimes pay for it with reduced breed back on the cows but sometimes not. Usually need about half to twin on and let the other half run as twins.
Much rather have twins from cows than any number beyond two from a sheep.

[grassfarmer]

Oh and my early calving experience - had a yearling bull escape last spring so had one heifer calf mid January, one mid February. The January one was a reminder why I don't calf until late April. New calf walking about on a -37C morning a mile from home. All's well that ends well but it took a lot of time and effort to apprehend the heifer and bring her indoors.
I know you are better set up for it if you plan on calving in January but still the fact that you might miss pulling one into the barn and get a dead or partially frozen calf as a result is an extra risk I don't feel the need to incur.

[Horse]

GF The daughter has about 100 ewes and she usualy gets about 20% triplets and 1 or 2 quads and has good luck, more work for sure weans some but usualy just suplements some, started yesterday with 1 twin,2 triplets so far so good.

[grassfarmer]

Cow 4 teats - 2 calves = good.
sheep 2 teats - more than 2 lambs = bad.
I shot too many ewes with udders burst open, poisoned, maggots after getting mastitis/chewed up with too many mouths fighting for teats. With a lot of management, work and ultrasound preg checking we were able to successfully foster a lot of triplets onto single bearing ewes. Very few of the sets raised as triplets didn't have at least one runt. We would typically scan 70-80 sets of triplets out of 550 ewes. Only one year we got bigger litters - scanned 2 with 4 lambs and 1 with five. I think we raised a total of 3 lambs out of that mess.
Two lambs every time was the ideal for us.

[Horse]

GF 2 more triplets last night. Could it be from better feed or grass at breeding?

[grassfarmer]

Depends on the genetics Horse - some of the breeds have litters of lambs regularly. The more mainstream breeds I'm familiar with the cause of more triplets is not feed quality at breeding directly, not body condition at breeding directly but the speed at which a ewe is gaining condition at breeding time. A leaner, milky type ewe that was still thin from raising her last lambs gaining condition rapidly is the most likely to conceive 3 lambs. Ewes that were in good body condition and neither gaining nor losing at breeding were the most likely to give you the optimum 2 lambs in my experience.

[kato]

About a month until we start with lambs. Should be interesting if they carry on like the cows have. Only 19 cows to go and we can call calving done. Replacement heifers get sorted out this week.