Brothers from Another Mother: An Unusual Twin Calving

When a Texas veterinarian was called to assist with a breech Charolais calf, she expected a difficult delivery. What she didn’t expect was to find a second calf waiting behind it, one with an entirely different sire and a very different genetic background.

Dr. Brooke Eckermann Mueller, veterinarian and co-founder of Burton Veterinary Clinic in Burton, Texas, received the call on a Friday evening from a longtime client whose recipient cow was struggling to deliver a registered Charolais embryo calf.

The producer was experienced and routinely handled his own calvings, but this one presented a challenge. The calf was in a breech position, with its hind feet tucked beneath its body. After working through positioning attempts over the phone without success, the producer loaded the cow onto a trailer for the hour-long trip to the clinic.

By the time they arrived, darkness had set in; a flat tire had added another obstacle to the journey.

Mueller initially thought the calf would be relatively straightforward to deliver. The calf did not feel particularly large, especially compared with some of the larger show cattle she regularly assists with. However, she quickly discovered the bigger problem was space.

In a breech presentation, the veterinarian must push the calf forward into the uterus to create room to reach and extend its hind legs. Each hoof must be carefully cupped as the leg is brought over the cow’s pelvic rim to reduce the risk of injury to the uterus.

“There was just no room to work in this recipient cow,” Mueller says. Repeated attempts to reposition the calf were unsuccessful because it seemed there simply wasn’t enough space to reach the feet.

After discussing the available options with the owner, Mueller used a water-based lubricant mixed with warm water, pumping the mixture into the uterus to help the calf float forward and create more room for manipulation.

“This was the trick that worked,” she says.

Once she could reach the first hoof and bring the leg into position, the second leg followed, and the Charolais calf was delivered.

The calf was alive but initially slow to respond. After intervention, it recovered well.

Then came the surprise.

As Mueller checked the recipient cow following delivery, she felt another set of legs.

“I always enjoy getting a two for one when I pull calves,” she says. “It’s a pleasant little surprise; however, with this calf pull it explained why it seemed there was no room to manipulate the first calf.”

Initially, she suspected the Charolais embryo might have split, resulting in twins. However, the appearance of the second calf quickly changed that theory.

The second calf was smoke-colored, with long, pointed ears and a pendulous sheath. It was clearly not another Charolais.

The calf was also alive and healthy. Both calves were bulls, but they had completely different parentage.

Two Pregnancies, Two Different Sires

The explanation came shortly afterward when the producer realized what had happened.

The recipient cow had been naturally bred by a neighbor’s Brangus bull, which had gotten into her pasture and bred her on the day she came into heat. Eight days later, as scheduled, an IVF Charolais embryo was transferred into her uterus.

The cow had established and carried both pregnancies simultaneously, delivering two calves from two different sires.

The first was the registered Charolais calf produced through embryo transfer. The second was a naturally conceived Brangus-cross calf, sired by the neighbor’s bull and out of the Braunvieh recipient cow.

A Challenging Delivery, A Successful Outcome

The presence of two calves created the primary challenge during delivery. With both calves taking up space in the uterus, Mueller had limited room to manipulate the breech Charolais calf and reach its hind feet.

Time was another concern. The producer had allowed the cow time to calve naturally and then attempted to correct the presentation himself before making the hour-long trip to the clinic.

Both calves were initially slow following delivery but responded to intervention. The recipient cow also recovered well, although she developed a retained placenta that was treated and resolved promptly.

For Mueller, the case highlights the importance of attentive herd management and an established relationship between producers and their veterinarians.

“The quick action of the owner saved the life of the calves and the recipient cow,” she says. The producer knew the cow’s due date, watched her closely as calving approached and recognized when the situation required veterinary assistance.

Mueller also emphasizes the value of having a veterinarian producers know and trust before an emergency occurs.

“This producer felt comfortable picking up the phone to call and talk through what was happening so that we could make the decision together about what happened next and ultimately get both calves out alive,” she says. “That’s the kind of relationship you want in a situation like this.”