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greysides wrote: »

Induced twinning?

Yeah, I did a few repro electives while in UCD and have wanted to try it since then. If you hit them with eCG as the follicle wave emerges you could allow for two dominant follicles to be selected. If you used sexed semen you'd stop the chance of freemartins. Freemartins would be advantageous for beef anyway, you'd still have enough heifer-heifer twins for replacements and the freemartins would have a better growth rate due to the testosterone exposure.

Again some people think it's hardship and asking for dead calves but the USDA have bred cattle selecting for twins and it works out to be more profitable. Yes you will lose some calves but overall you will have more live calves weaned. This is selecting genetically for a 50% twinning rate after 30 years. Slightly different from doing it hormonally as I suggest.

http://usda.biddersauction.com/cattle/index_files/Page347.htm

greysides wrote: »

Probably an easier method than the previous natural service and embryo implantation method that was tried commercially previously.

It sounds easy but I suppose the big cost is having to scan cows repeatedly to catch them at the right stage to hit them with eCG. You could just scan once and give eCG to whatever cows happen to be at the right point. Depends how aggressively it is being pursued. Would be a grand hobby for a vet with a scanner on their own cows but not sure would it ever be commercially viable to spend the money repeatedly scanning as if breeding a mare!

Damo810 wrote: »

Would extensive breeding of twins not be hard on cows though, surely their production lifespan would be shorter?

It would indeed. You'd have higher incidence of retained placenta's, possibly more ketosis if not watching the feed, higher milk yield as a result of increased BST from twin pregnancy and more difficult calvings +/- sections. The majority of the cost of sucklers is in feeding the cow though so if she had two calves sucking her you don't need much extra grass. It has +'s and -'s but I think there is something to it.

PS, we're going badly off topic here, Greysides will have to give us yellow cards if we're not careful

greysides wrote: »

Greysides is culpable too.

Shame on ya

Was thinking of starting afresh as Adonis but some other geek beat me to it :rolleyes:

jt65 wrote: »

and say "well" instead of hello

answered an ad. on DD and greeting was "well" , tight with the luck penny up that country as well

You get the same greeting around here but we ain't as tight with the luck penny

.Kovu. wrote: »

We might hit double numbers soon!:P

God forbid

davycc wrote: »

hi dave here mid 30s dublin man,

grew up helping out on the uncles dairy farm and still do when im down their direction.

love the farming life and it never seems like work to me which is supposed to be a good sign:D

Ah its in your blood dave...Welcome aboard

thanks lads

ganmo wrote: »

Glad I'm not the only dub here

There are a few of us luring around

Charliebull wrote: »

I think me and you have met on the spurs supporters threads, welcome :cool:

ha small world -especially on boards:D

thanks for the welcome Charlie:cool:

Ard_MC wrote: »

Probably will do more reading than posting!!

That's what i thought too!

Welcome aboard

welton john wrote: »

hi john here. long time reader first time poster.mid 20's limerick lad. part time farmer. dairy and some beef. some road frontage and owner of two pairs a wellies!

Welcome aboard John

Limofarmer wrote: »

Hi all its Time I introduced myself . Long time follower. Part time farming . Have learnt a lot from boards . Ped lim herd herd and finishing some beef heifers. Took over farm in 2011. Slowly expanding . Already know a few from here and have met some of you already in person 😆. Based in the north west .

When are you going to get to fifty posts and stick up a few pics of your cattle?:D