Twin heifers - past experience?

Bodacious

FR X CH Cow had twin calves heifers 3 years ago to a lim bull 1 brown 1 white and she rejected brown calf and the cow would not for the life of her take the 2nd calf so reared her on milk replacer.

The suckled calf was obviously by far a better heifer and you'd never but them down as twins but they both inseminated on same day and calving in march(bigger one broke on 3 weeks so later).

Just wondered as never had twins before what is yer experience with them will the bigger white heifer and her offspring always be better or could the smaller twin throw and rear calves equally as good?

In dairy twins do they perform similarly or is one twin usually a better yielder?

Thanks any past experiences most welcome

Bizzum

Non-identical twins are the product of two eggs fertilized by two sperm, and are no more related to each other as they are to a single brother or sister.
Identical twins are the product of the one egg split after fertilization. Essentially clones of each other.

The same as with human genetics, differences will exibit between brothers and sisters. Usually we dont look exactly like all our siblings even though we carry very similar genes.
So it's safe to assume your twin heifers will breed differently year on year, and yet may breed well year on year.
In your case, the weaker twin may suffer from the poorer start in life, but at maturity it could even itself out.

blue5000

Heifers that are twins themselves are more likely to have twins themselves. It won't happen every year, but you need to watch out for it, maybe dry them off a bit earlier to allow them build up.

Bizzum

blue5000 wrote: »

Heifers that are twins themselves are more likely to have twins themselves. It won't happen every year, but you need to watch out for it, maybe dry them off a bit earlier to allow them build up.

Or scan them and act according to the result.

Bodacious

Bizzum wrote: »

Or scan them and act according to the result.

they both scanned and both carrying heifers!

Bizzum

Bodacious wrote: »

they both scanned and both carrying heifers!

Happy days!
The scanning is a great management tool.

Bodacious

Bizzum wrote: »

Non-identical twins are the product of two eggs fertilized by two sperm, and are no more related to each other as they are to a single brother or sister.
Identical twins are the product of the one egg split after fertilization. Essentially clones of each other.

The same as with human genetics, differences will exibit between brothers and sisters. Usually we dont look exactly like all our siblings even though we carry very similar genes.
So it's safe to assume your twin heifers will breed differently year on year, and yet may breed well year on year.
In your case, the weaker twin may suffer from the poorer start in life, but at maturity it could even itself out.

Thanks. Yeah they both very different alright the big white one is a quality animal -larger,wider etc other lady is in her own right too but only got ai'd as she was bulling the day the ai man came to do her twin!!

More twins further down the road would be fine by me too but as you guys say have them scanned and be extra vigilant at calving

Bizzum

Give me a good single anyday.
The twins can be more trouble than they're worth, particularly if your cow isn't extra milky.

Bodacious

Bizzum wrote: »

Give me a good single anyday.
The twins can be more trouble than they're worth, particularly if your cow isn't extra milky.

Especially when she rejects one and i know 2 other cases where this has happened, you stuck with an extra calf then we all sucklers so feeding a calf on its own/getting milk replacer/ is a balls. Also harder to get them back in calf.

Funny talking about twin heifers, i called into a fella after work there to do some castrating and what did he have as i walked in... but twin red lm heifer weanlings not identical either again one slightly better than the other