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Twin Pregnancies in Dairy Cattle: Incidence, Reproductive Performance, and Farm-Level Economic Impact in a Red Holstein Herd in Romania
by
, ,
Daniel Berean
1,
Raluca Cimpean
2,*,
Liviu Marian Bogdan
1,
Ionela Ut
1,
Stefan Coman
1,
Simona Ciupe
1 and
Sidonia Gog Bogdan
3 1
Department of Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Manastur 3–5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2
Department of Animal Breeding and Food Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Manastur 3–5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
3
Department of Surgery, Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2025, 15(22), 3284; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15223284 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 23 October 2025
/
Revised: 10 November 2025
/
Accepted: 11 November 2025
/
Published: 13 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dairy Cattle Reproduction: Second Edition)
Simple Summary
Twinning in dairy cattle may seem advantageous because it produces two calves at once, but in dairy herds, it often causes serious problems. This study examined twin calvings in a dairy herd in Romania over three years. Twin pregnancies occurred in 11% of all calvings and were linked with lower milk yield after calving, poorer fertility, and higher veterinary costs. Cows with twins produced 742 kg less milk per lactation, needed more inseminations, and took longer to become pregnant again. More than half of twin pairs were mixed-sex, meaning many female calves were freemartins and unable to reproduce. Altogether, each twin calving caused an estimated loss of about EUR 379. These results show that twinning has clear negative effects on both animal performance and farm profitability. Managing and detecting twin pregnancies early can help reduce these losses and improve herd efficiency.
Abstract
This study evaluated the biological and economic impact of twin calvings in a commercial dairy herd located in Harghita County, Romania. Data from 2019 to 2022 were analyzed retrospectively using production, reproductive, and veterinary records. The incidence of twin pregnancies averaged 11.0% across the study period. Mixed-sex pairs were most frequent (55.3%), followed by female–female (28.2%) and male–male (16.5%) combinations. Twin calvings were associated with significant reductions in subsequent milk yield (−742 kg per lactation; p < 0.05), decreased fertility (2.3 vs. 1.4 inseminations; 103 vs. 79 days service period; p < 0.05), and higher veterinary costs (EUR 90 per case). The expected loss of replacement value due to freemartinism was EUR 63 per twin calving. After accounting for a small gain in calf value, the total economic loss was estimated at EUR 379 per twin calving. These findings demonstrate that twin pregnancies, although relatively uncommon, substantially reduce productive efficiency and profitability in dairy systems. Early detection and targeted reproductive management are recommended to mitigate their adverse effects and enhance farm sustainability.
