Twins

I just wanted to get everyones' feelings regarding twins...

When we bred in '05 one of the mares came back with twins. We pinched one and then checked back for a heartbeat. Got our heartbeat and we were good to go.

This year a good friend had his mare checked, vet thought there was a baby and a cyst so didn't pinch. They had to pinch at heartbeat (when there were two) and that just made me sad...BUT I would rather have one healthy baby than two sick ones.

So -
Twins or No Twins???
Do you ultrasound to make sure no twins?

No twins.

My vet ultrasounds at 18-19 days, I will recheck at 45 days then this year I will do a final check nov 1st. This way I won't get caught like I did this year on my mare being open and not getting her under lights in time.

Definitely no twins....

I'd rather have no babies than 2 unhealthy babies. We always do a twin check... ALWAYS.

When do you put them under lights?

Ours go under December 1st religiously!

We ultrasound at 17 days - pregnancy, 30ish days (depending on the mare)- heartbeat, and palpate in the fall if anything looks amiss.


I've gotten to where I can read an ultrasound quicker than my vet...which cracks her up...and on follicle estimating - oh, I've got that DOWN

I have a different method to the whole lights deal so I have to start earlier then most people normally do. I have tried it out on my mares and had the one come in earlier then the other one.

This past year I didn't recheck my mare after her last ultrasound which was a huge mistake on my part. Once we found out it was already the middle of Jan <jan 19th I think> so she had not been under lights which set me back quite aways for getting her to cycle.

Mistakes aren't mistakes if we learn from them though. Now nov 1st I want them all checked so this never happens again.

Put mine under lights on thankgiving weekend.

I vote no Twins.

I Have had them pinched. Once it worked once it didn't. I also have twice now, where the twins were to close to pinch, We changed the feeding program, to get the mare to absorb one. It has worked for me twice. The Gamble is, time. If they don't absorb one, then they will have to take both. and you lose the time for rebreeding.

WE'll ultrasound twice. Then, I'll pregnancy check after 6 months. I learned how to do pregnancy checks when I worked at a vets office. I have only done 2 or 3 of my own, but late in pregnancy, it's pretty easy to tell.

No Twins

I have had twins, and I never want them again. The foals were well sized and healthy (a month over due) but still, I lost one, and all in all it was not worth it.

I get all of my mares checked in foal via U/S, and my TB mare, although confirmed a single pregnancy... looks as big as a house... I am a little paranoid about that one, but we will see....

So again.... No twins here!

Kidd, TripleJ, has anybody told you that if it's after 30 days, you have a chance of losing both of 'em? I had one that was right at 40 days, and we lost both of them.

The one that was pinched this year was pinched at 32-33 days. I'll be able to say in about a week if the other one made it!

We pinch between 16-18 days...if its on the ultrasound it goes bye bye...

Personally the ones I've had have all been done early...I'll have to check in with the guy that didn't get it pinched until after the heartbeat this year.
..see how that went!

no twins here Id rather pinch and loose them both and try again... and no lights here either we don't try for early foals Id much rather have babies mid March to 1st of May my babies are just as big and healthy and ready to start as any of the others out there come Jan of their 2yr old yr. and I don't get in a big hurry to get them under saddle I just start their ground work in the fall and go from their depending on their size and maturity. Jackie my 2yr old hasn't been ridden yet but should be ready to around June then it is just light riding.

NO TWINS Never ends up a happy ending..

Have any of you guys heard that the twin deal is coming from the mare only? I heard that, just wondered if anybody else heard that.

I guarantee you one thing... the heifer that was ultrasounded with twins, uh, she's not here anymore ... huh-uh... nope!

7 Ceders, Not guess Ive never gotten that far. Except on a mare that was in the process of absorbing one and then she died before it all unraveled. Won't go into why she died. Thats another subject.

yup got to have 2 follicles for 2 foals unless you are talking identicals where the follicle splits but that is really rare and a little different story

7 Ceders, No, I hadn't. Never got that far with them except a mare that was absorbing one, and the other was growing strong. The mare died before be saw the final results. OF corse I wont say why she died because folks don't like to here why. SO we won't go there I will just say It was no fault of mine.

Totally understand on the "don't go there deal." I had one of my vets tell me that, and I just wondered if any other vets had told others that.

Twins is determined by the mare only...sorta like in people.
A mare has to have two follicles and ovulate at the same time.
We had a mare that would come up with twins every 4yrs or so - we just dealt with it...
Identical twins CAN be triggered by the sperm but that is even MORE rare!

Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one that had heard that. Funny thing about it, this particular mare, I also had her mom, ole Grandma, was 31 when we put her down. That we knew of, she had 21 babies on the ground - can you imagine! GAWD! Never had any trouble with her on the twin thing. Her daughter, and I think this would've been her second season - been way too long, she ultrasounded with twins. Next year, regular.

I tell ya, if it's not one thing you have to worry about, it another! ARGH!

I do have one happy and sad story about twins my girlfriend had.. The vet missed them so they were born.

One was the cutest little red dun. He was darling. But his legs went every direction. The other was a normal chestnut colt. When she finally got the money together to take dunny to the university to get his legs fixed they descovered he had part of his knee bones missing and they had to put him down. Really broke they're heart.. He was adorable and they had been taking care of him for a long time..

The other chestnut colt looked good. He was not real big but balanced and correct. Just a nice package all together. She took him to the Oregon futurity and he kicked the pants off some big time horses and fooled everyone and won that class.. My friend walked out of there crying. She really needed something good to come her way. Then we laught about how her little twin beat so and so.. And we are talking about people here who neer loose.. It was a happy day let me tell ya.

no twins. we ultrasound and pinch if theres twins.

it was funny because after an ultra sound our mare came back saying there was twins. so they went to pinch and there was only one there. then they check mellow at the time and she was the one with twins. it was funny. so they pinched her. and the foals ended up born on the same day i think lol. it was cute.

Bluejay, how horrible and congrats to your friend! I've seen a set of twins that were perfect. Went and visited the Tittles, owner of Mighty Awesome, and sitting there in the pasture was a danged mare with the most gorgeous chestnut colts you've ever seen. They were little, but boy, oh, boy, they were put together! I didn't see anything wrong with either of 'em, cutest little things you've ever seen, though!

I wonder what happened to them.

I have seen them work out before too.. I just do not want to ever go there.. Too few and far between..