Twins

[grassfarmer]

Are any of you getting more twins than usual this spring? I've heard in this area that some guys are getting more. It certainly has been the case for us - we're running three sets just now and have only had about 30 cows calved. Touch wood, all live and no problems.

[kato]

Seven sets out of 130 so far.

[rkaiser]

2 sets out of 150 so far on the hairy cow ranch. One set cooking and alive, and the other set in the bush with the magpies. Hooked on to two front feet and had a live tongue coming out the back end of an old girl that should have been gone last year. Nice sized calf, but she had trouble last year so I figured she needed help again. By the time I pulled the head through I was about wore out. Then reached in again and realized what I had done. By the time I got things squared away, I lost both. Kind of embarassing but I have not run into a set like that before, and likely will never again. Circumstances I say.

[rkaiser]

No twins here this year . Twins aren't as common in Limo cattle as Simis or other breeds.
The neighbours had nine sets last year out of 160 cows and four sets so far this year .

[15444]

No twins, but basically all heifers...probably running 3:4 on heifers.

[Cattleman]

Yeah we started with a bang in the twin category as well. We had I think three sets in the first 18 cows, but none since. We didn't have any last year. We also have limo and generally few twins, this year was the first set of twins off a purebred cow. One of the other cows that had twins, we were waiting for, for a while. She was off an old cow that had twins at 12 years of age, raised them both, and then within the year threw a set of triplets!! Her daughter that had twins this year was the 19th calf which was succesfully kept or sold off that old cow!! Her whole family is a dandy! Could almost write a book on this line, but you jsut have to look at the herd to see the influence from just one cow.

[Cattleman]

cattleman, same in my herd as far as influence of one cow goes. I have an old gal that should have been long gone by now, but she brings in the best calf in the fall. I have four of her daughters in the herd and all her bull calves have gone on to be good bulls in someones herd.
Those good cow families are herd builders in my opinion.

[grassfarmer]

rkaiser, It's a sad job sometimes. I had a wipe out last week too. Old baldie crock that should have been gone last year with a dead, outside in calf. Took it to the vet for confirmation and then put her down. Economics do not entice me to do a $500 C-section on a $100 cull cow to get a dead calf. First and foremost though I don't want to put an old cow like that through either a C-section or a cut the calf out operation. The bullet is sometimes kinder.
Of course the vet wasn't accepting her for the 3D program because he knew what was wrong with her. I was kind of surprised at that because she was unable to calf - doesn't that qualify as distress?

emrald1, your old cow that "should have been long ago but turns in the heaviest calf in the fall" - does she take an uneconomic amount of feed to keep her or why should she be gone?

[pandiana]

3 sets of twins this year and near end of calving. Twin bulls, Twin heifers and on mixed pair. The last set are too small (50 and 70 lbs) and are a pain to get started, but think they will make it. The cow with the twin heifers calves has her 3rd set of twins (every second year). We do not expect too many twins from Gelbvieh females,.. probably average.
Somebody asked me the other day why twinning has a genetic propensity in the female line in cattle but the male line in humans. I have no idea if this is true or not let alone why. I have read any reference to this. I would expect it would differ between fraternal and maternal twinning.

[pandiana]

grassfarmer she is the only cow on the place that needs her feet trimmed regularly plus she is 13 this year so she is really getting to the age of retirement. My oldest cow is a 14 year old that weighs around 1800 pounds and is sound as a dollar ( don't know how sound the dollar is today !).
I like to keep the herd fairly young and keep the daughters of my best cows. The 1800 pound cow always has bull calves so no daughters in the herd.

Just went out to check the cows, one cow has been bawling all morning, her damn calf is right beside her and is frisky as can be.....don't know what is eating the old boot !! As if I don't have enough to do without hiking out there twice already this morning, but I guess the excercise is a good thing >

Sure nice to have the mud drying up around here, now I have to get some fences fixed so I can move cows into a different field. Always something to spend money on !!!!!

[grassfarmer]

You keep sons and daughters off a cow that regularily needs her feet trimmed? Don't the offspring develop the same fault? I thought feet faults were fairly heritable.

[Cattleman]

Grassfarmer, sometimes feeding as a young animal will affect their feet, especially once they mature and grow older. So one out of a solid line of cattle, there is that debate of keeping their offspring.

[Cattleman]

Never have had a problem with any of her daughters feet and the eldest of them is an 8 year old. Her sons have been sold locally and no complaints about their feet. If any feet problems would have shown up in her daughters I certainly wouldn't have kept them all. I have grandaughters in the herd as well and no problem feet with them either.

[cowman]

I'm with grassfarmer on this one! Would you put up with that kind of garbage on a commercial cow? I don't know about you but I sure wouldn't!
Now I wonder, if it was too much feed when she was young, then why don't all the other similar aged cows have bad feet? And more importantly why were you "greasing" her?
Poor cruddy feet are something no commercial cattleman should have to put up with...whether cow or bull! The best thing to do, instead of getting out the trimmers, is hook up the trailer and ship her!
I do realize the purebred world is not really reality....more about the "sizzle rather than the steak"? And I do know if you want to play the game you have to grease them...but this is really wrong thinking? Unfortunately the purebred game has nothing to do with the reality of the beef business?
We really do need to get rid of this garbage in the beef business?

[cowman]

Interesting advice cowman. I have been in the purebred business since 1974 and take pride in the cattle I raise. I gave an honest answer to grassfarmers question about why I indicated that a 13 year old cow should have been gone long ago, now of course everyone has become an expert on how I need to cull my herd !!
Guess we aren't all perfect cattlemen, or likely not perfect farmers for that matter. I try and do my best with the cattle and the way I look after the environment as well. I am willing to bet that more than one operation that posts on this site has the odd cow around that likely should have been gone long ago, mainly because they are good mothers. I know I see a lot of old girls in herds when I travel the country and I am sure that mine isn't the only one with bad feet !!!!!!!