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No. A heifer would only be sterile if she was twinned with a bull calf.
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If a cow gives birth to twin heifers are they sterile?
No.
What percentage of heifers in heifer bull calf twins are able to become pregnant?
The common rule of thumb is that 10% of heifers born with a twin brother are fertile, leaving only 90% of heifers in a brother-sister twin combination sterile as freemartins or hermaphordites.
Can a heifer be a bull?
No. Heifers are female, bulls are male. Heifers cannot change their sex like some other creatures can. However, heifers that were born with a twin brother and shared the same placenta with her twin brother can develop bull-like characteristics. These are called Freemartins or Hermaphrodites. Hermaphrodites are 100% sterile, and a hermaphrodite heifer is a heifer that has both male and female sexual characteristics but can not fully become a bull like REAL bulls are.
When twin male calf are born is one or both sterile?
Fertility or sterility is not determined by birth circumstances. That is, just because an animal is born a twin, doesn't mean it will be sterile, or fertile. Being a twin has nothing to do with it.Another opinion:When twin bull calves are born neither are sterile, they're both fertile. The issue comes when the twin bull is born with a twin heifer, where there's a chance that she may be a freemartin and have a 90% chance of being sterile.
Will a twin bull calf be infertile?
Not usually, only the heifers are affected by infertility due to twinning.
If a cow gives birth to twin heifers are they sterile?
No.
What percentage of heifers in heifer bull calf twins are able to become pregnant?
The common rule of thumb is that 10% of heifers born with a twin brother are fertile, leaving only 90% of heifers in a brother-sister twin combination sterile as freemartins or hermaphordites.
Can a heifer be a bull?
No. Heifers are female, bulls are male. Heifers cannot change their sex like some other creatures can. However, heifers that were born with a twin brother and shared the same placenta with her twin brother can develop bull-like characteristics. These are called Freemartins or Hermaphrodites. Hermaphrodites are 100% sterile, and a hermaphrodite heifer is a heifer that has both male and female sexual characteristics but can not fully become a bull like REAL bulls are.
When twin male calf are born is one or both sterile?
Fertility or sterility is not determined by birth circumstances. That is, just because an animal is born a twin, doesn't mean it will be sterile, or fertile. Being a twin has nothing to do with it.Another opinion:When twin bull calves are born neither are sterile, they're both fertile. The issue comes when the twin bull is born with a twin heifer, where there's a chance that she may be a freemartin and have a 90% chance of being sterile.
Will a twin bull calf be infertile?
Not usually, only the heifers are affected by infertility due to twinning.
When twin female calves are born is one or both sterile?
Neither. Both calves will be fertile. You will only get a sterile female calf if she's born to a twin bull brother.
If a cow has twins can the twin get pregnant?
Only if the twin is a heifer and if that twin has been tested negative for being a freemartin (IF she had been twinned with a bull calf). Twin heifers are both highly likely to get pregnant when they reach puberty.
What are the pros and cons of keeping twin heifers to raise as replacement cows?
This really isn't a matter of "pros and cons", it's more a matter of personal choice. Most twin heifers are born small to begin with, and you may end up with heifers that are too small to meet requirements as replacement heifers, unless the dam or a serrogate cow can give them lots of milk that equals what a cow can raise one calf with. You may end up choosing just one of the twins to keep back and have that twin on her dam and you raise the other via bottle.
What is a female calf born sterile as twin to male calf?
It is called a freemartin.
What is a female calf that is born sterile and is a twin to a male calf called?
A freemartin.
How many heifers can one bull breed?
A yearling bull, which is best used on heifers, can breed from 10 to 20 heifers in a breeding season.
I was told two heifer calves born twins will not reproduce?
This is false. Both heifers will be reproductive later in life when they reach puberty.However, you will get a heifer that is sterile if she was born with a twin brother, not a twin sister. This is because the production of testosterone inhibits the normal production of estradiol, which decreases the heifer's ability to properly produce normal reproductive organs during the first trimester of gestation. This only occurs if both calves are sharing the same placenta. It's less likely for the heifer calf to be a freemartin or hermaphrodite if she and her brother have separate placentas, where they are fraternal twins, not maternal.
