Boy Girl Twins and Fertility

[kimmyh]

I only know one person who has been through this in goats, and she indeed had a beautiful freemartin. That case is what prompted me to ask my vet about it, because I had a hard time believing the person with the goat-it just didn't seem right too me.

 

[Roll farms]

I've had oodles of triplets w/ one doe, and oodles of triplets out of those does....
I think someone applied the 'freemarten cow' thing to goats in what the original poster was told. That's horsepucky.
Doodle (twin doe to buck brother) has had twins, trips, and quads....counting on quints from her this year...

 

[Patchesnposies]

I think someone applied the 'freemarten cow' thing to goats in what the original poster was told. That's horsepucky.

LOL! A more succinct statement was never made and after reading all of the previous posts, I am inclined to think it was all indeed, horsepucky!

Thanks to all for your input!

Deb

 

[KareyABohr]

In my experience it is only true in cattle.
When you have a bull/heifer twin combo the heifer is nearly always infertile. In goats I have NEVER seen this to be true. I have a young doe who was a triplet with two bucks and she had twins on her first kidding, and they are doing awesome. No stunted growth or anything. (She is naturally small though and I thought she would topple over as she bagged out.)

 

[lilhill]

I have only seen a photo of a freemartin doe and she had tiny, tiny teats and a very small vulva. The person posting the picture claimed the doe was in the same sac as the buck when born and the testosterone crossed over to the doe. As we all know, in humans, animals, reptiles, etc., there are some births that exhibit abnormalities ... like, two-headed snakes. In goats, I would think it would be a very low risk of having a freemartin doe.

 

[cmjust0]

As we all know, in humans, animals, reptiles, etc., there are some births that exhibit abnormalities ... like, two-headed snakes. In goats, I would think it would be a very low risk of having a freemartin doe.

Speaking of...a bit off topic, but I saw pictures of a 2-headed goat kid, delivered DOA by c-section not 3mi from my farm. Doe died, too, after the protracted labor and subsequent surgery.

 

[lilhill]

Oh, how sad. See what I mean. Stuff just happens and we can only guess what caused it, or maybe not even guess.

 

[BDial]

On a side note about the freemartin heifers. I do know of a couple of cases where the heifer was infertile but they used her for embreyo transfer. Great mom just infertile. So the thinking that all freemartens are born without a uterus is wrong.