calf ? hey ken.. (twin calves - free martins?)greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread |
vet came out today and we were talking when i mentioned to her our heifer is a twin. well she started to laugh and asked the sex of its twin. it is bull , she said the chances of her being bred is 10% . has anyone else heard of this? something about to many male hormones get in the heifers blood while it is growing inside the cow. boy i hope this not true!
-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), September 26, 2000
Your vets right , but I thought it was 50/50 .
-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 26, 2000.
boy the good news just keeps pouring in today.. ha, ha,. this is an update on the goat. her bag was riped it took alot of cutting of dead skin and 20 stiches she may not produce milk this side again. the pyr. w/ the acl is getting worst! more swelling and now her knee cap is realy loose and crunches when moved and to top the day off one male pup has a slight heart murmur since he is only 5 weeks old he may out grow it,the vet thinks she hears it but it is slight . i sure hope he out grows it! with days like today the good ones are realy good.!
-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), September 26, 2000.
Renee, you're having a tough time. Sorry for you. I hope it all works out the best it can. Gerbil
-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), September 26, 2000.
Your heifer is what's called a free martin. Twins in cattle share the same pacenta. Since a male embryo developes sexually before a female, the male hormones produced get into the heifers blood stream and retards her sexual development. Basically it is about 90% she has a non-functional uterus. Thus, chances are extremely remote she will ever breed. If you are raising her for beef, it really doesn't matter.Somewhat the same thing can happen in pigs. Some producers keep gilts only from litters with a predominent number of gilts in it.
-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 26, 2000.
Renee , get a sitter and go out for a drink you need it .I would not worry about the murmur .I would wait to sell him until you can see a cardi dr.or unless your vet no longer hears it .Are they all sold ? G.P 's ?
-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 26, 2000.
Patty:On your 50/50, you may be thinking of the chances of a twin calf being a free martin. For each four calf conceptions, stastically, chances of two males is 25%, chances of two females is 25% and chances of a male and a female are 50%.
-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 26, 2000.
patty there are days i am glad i donot drink today is one of them! well ken she maybe our milk cow that was the reason we bought her! she is a holstein, guess i need to visit the farmer tomorrow !patty we sold 1 male and maybe 1 female. they are 6 weeks old friday. not trying to be pushy but if anyone is looking for a really nice female we have 2 that are #1 looking dogs nice and big boned.
-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), September 26, 2000.
What better place to let everyone know what you have .I have talked Hubby into a herding dog , I'll have to work on a Gp .We already have 4 dogs .
-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 26, 2000.
Yes,renee my friends bought a twin heifer too,and the same story as you they tried to breed her,the vet asked about the twin thing and she was twin to a bull calf.There was also a ridge of longer hair along her tail and on her backside that was apparently characteristic of a free martin.If you lived closer I have amish friends who have a great milk cow to "lend",she's giving 4 gallons a day.Sorry for your your predicament.
-- teri murphy (mrs_smurf2000@yahoo.com), September 27, 2000.
well the farmer seems not to remember.... sure.... does anyone know if there is a test or exam that can be done? hate to feed her all winer and spring then send her to the butcher. are dairy cows even meaty? seems like i will end up w/ alot of soup bones!
-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), September 27, 2000.
When it comes to tenderness dairy breeds do better than beef breeds. You just don't get as much meat from a carcass. Personally, I would take her to the livestock auction and find another one as your future milk cow.
-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 27, 2000.
Renee- what a frustrating situation for you! Although it's not 100%, your vet, or an experienced dairy farmer should be able to test your calf for you and at least give you an idea of the possibility of her breeding later. Basically it involves inserting a 6" test tube into the vagina of the calf. In a young heifer, it should pass easily the full 6". If it doesn't, it's a sure indication of major deformities. If it does, there's still a much greater chance that she has enough abberations in her sexual equipment that she will never conceive. Possibly if you can get your vet to say that she believes that the animal is a freemartin, you could pressure the farmer into an exchange. If you paid "replacement animal" price for her, small claims court might end up being your only option. Also, if you do decide to keep her, be aware that many of these freemartins produce enough male hormones to make them act like a bull. They can be dangerous, for the same reasons. Good Luck Linda Graves
-- Linda Graves (gravesfarm@,madbbs.com), September 28, 2000.
Just a thought here, could you make an ox out of a free martin? Would she be too mean?
-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), September 30, 2000.