Published: March 24, 2008 11:01 am         

Twin calves cavort on Westville farm

WESTVILLE — During their 30 years in the cattle business, Carl and Carol Ghibaudy have seen a lot of calves born on their Westville farm.

Still, there’s something special about twins.

Two mothers delivered twins on the same day, March 13, this year. For both cows, it was their second set of twins.

Last year, the Ghibaudys tended to three sets of twins, and one year, there were four sets.

It’s unusual to have so many surviving twins, especially within a short time period, Ghibaudy said. Usually, either one or both twins don’t survive.

And it’s quite rare to have two sets born on the same day.

“That’s like winning the lottery,” Ghibaudy said, referring to the odds.

In fact, the couple went out and bought lottery tickets that day. But, out of eight tickets, not one number matched.

Dr. H.J. Heffernan, a large-animal veterinarian, agreed it’s uncommon to see cattle twins.

“I would say that’s very unusual,” he said. “In all my years here, I’ve gone years without seeing any twins.”

Owners who use hormones or artificial means might see more twins, but the Ghibaudys are against taking that route.

“We try to maintain good pastures for them and keep their body conditions up,” Ghibaudy said.

Also, he and Carol keep an eye on the cows that are due and help out when needed. As a result, about 95 percent of their calves survive, he said.

“We take good care of them. We don’t leave it to fate,” he said.

Ghibaudy does his own veterinary work and is adept at delivering calves.

The cows don’t have names; instead, the Ghibaudys refer to them by numbers.

Mother No. 2 delivered two females this year — one black and the other brown and white. Last year, she also had twins, and the previous year, she had a single.

Mother No. 24 delivered her two second set within three years. She had a male and a female.

Both cows are about six years old, and have a good milk supply for the babies. The calves weigh about 70 pounds at birth, although last year, Ghibaudy helped deliver a couple that were 130 pounds.

The Ghibaudys have more than 100 feeder Angus-cross cattle. Of those, 35 are cows. Each cow is expected to have a calf this spring, which is keeping the Ghibaudys busy.

High prices

However, as cute as the calves are, their days may be numbered.

The Ghibaudys plan to sell the yearlings next spring because it costs too much to feed them.

Cattle feed was $60 a ton in the past; this year, it’s $160 a ton, Ghibaudy said.

“There’s no way you can make a profit,” he said.

The Ghibaudys usually grow their own hay, but production was down last year due to the dry conditions. Normally, they can get 100 bales during the first cutting in May; last year, there were only 35 bales in the first cutting.

They ended up paying about $50 for a bale of hay, but now the price is up to $70-90 per bale.

“It’s sad to do something that long and give up for that reason,” Ghibaudy said.