Open AccessReview
Economics of Twin Pregnancies in Dairy Cattle
by
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and *
Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Irina Garcia Ispierto
Received: 20 January 2021
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Revised: 11 February 2021
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Accepted: 13 February 2021
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Published: 20 February 2021
Simple Summary
Twinning in dairy cattle is not desirable due to negative effects on both cows that calve twins and calves born as twins that result in economic losses to dairy farms. Although a twin pregnancy could bring additional income from extra calves and it could shorten gestation length, twinning compromises milk production, increases the incidence of dystocia and perinatal mortality, decreases calf birth weight, increases the incidence of metabolic diseases, decreases fertility, increases the incidence of freemartinism, increases overall culling risks, and shortens the productive lifespan of cows. Based on a summary of economic analyses from several studies, the estimated losses due to twinning range between $59 to $161 per twin pregnancy. When twins are diagnosed early during gestation, management options might include doing nothing, terminating the pregnancy, or attempting manual embryo reduction. Based on a recent economic analysis of these options, attempting manual embryo reduction decreased the economic losses of a twin pregnancy by $23 to $45.