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Ok-Table-3774 t1_j6kfp9i wrote

Yea, it's called a Freemartin. This happens a lot of in cows and other ruminants but not so much human due to how the placenta forms and the blood share. I used to work in a genetics lab that offered freemartin testing to cattle breeders to confirm this. A lot of times the females look normal on the outside but when mating is attempted, it either doesn't happen (no internal vagina), or the mating isn't successful (female is infertile). Sadly most freemartin calves are euthanized.

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Kooky-Cry-4088 t1_j6kqzgw wrote

Most freemartin calves are not euthanized, in fact none are nor should be unless other congenital/genetic defect exist such as PHA, cleft palate etc. They are fed and harvested as beef. No ovarian hormone production so actually feed similar to a steer. I’m specifically a bovine veterinarian in the heart of cattle country.

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huntingteacher25 t1_j6md12n wrote

Agree. Had one a few years ago. She put on weight like a steer and was a fine animal.

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RichardSaunders t1_j6mgigz wrote

for deer as a species, there's the word deer, regardless of whether it's a buck or a doe. is there an equivalent term for a single bos taurus? my great uncle called them "bossies" (bah-sees), but i reckon he just made that up based on the latin.

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Ok-Table-3774 t1_j6ogp1g wrote

That good to hear! We were told otherwise at the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Lab when I worked there. It made me pretty sad.

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_ManMadeGod_ t1_j6mr03h wrote

"harvested for beef" is a weird way of saying "fattened up so we can tear flesh from bone"

Jesus Christ these creatures are sentient.

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Raichu7 t1_j6li5gt wrote

If you’re raising dairy cattle rather than beef what good is a cow who can’t get pregnant? I doubt all freemartin calves are kept.

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iammada t1_j6ljm2g wrote

If only cattle could be bought and sold...

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wojtekthesoldierbear t1_j6llhi4 wrote

chomps on a burger

sears a steak

spreads marrow on toast

If only we could DO SOMETHING

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Raichu7 t1_j6lolme wrote

Dairy cattle aren’t raised for meat unless they are a dual purpose breed.

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pdieten t1_j6ls2de wrote

Depends on your definition of raised, I suppose, when I lived on the family Holstein dairy farm my parents would usually ship male Holstein calves out early for veal.

The cows were usually artificially inseminated with Holstein semen, but we kept a Hereford bull on the farm to keep the cow producing in case artificial means failed. The Hereford was much more docile than Holstein bulls so it was safer to keep him around, but the offspring of that mating were sterile so they'd be raised to 1000# as steers and either shipped or we'd keep it for ourselves if we were low on freezer beef.

Can't remember what was done with freemartins. It was a lot of decades ago.

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Diplodocus114 t1_j6lwdu9 wrote

Those Hereford bulls were so docile. Local farmer had a 'Bull warning' on his field with a public footpath through.

The massive thing merely stayed with his harem and ignored passsers-by. He would sometimes approach for treats and scare people who didn't know him.

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pdieten t1_j6nccuq wrote

Yeah, a regulation was enacted where I lived, and probably where you lived too, that notices had to be put up if a bull lived on the property even if all he did was stand there and chew his cud at you. Must have been sometime in the '80s, because one day when I was in my early teens Dad grabbed a big magic marker and wrote "Beware of bull" on the whitewashed doors to the barns.

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Diplodocus114 t1_j6nykq9 wrote

Enter at your own risk etc. I was a kid in farming country in the 70s (born 63) and never saw a sign until the 1990s. Bulls were fine - they never left their girls unless approached - it was the curious bullocks that chased you.

Even now I would check out the undersides of young cattle before entering a field of strangers.

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1955photo t1_j6lssuu wrote

A Hereford bull and a Holstein cow will produce sterile offspring? Not even Dr. Pol talked about that. Learn something every day.

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pdieten t1_j6luacs wrote

Was a long time ago, I could be mistaken. The females definitely wouldn't produce. I suppose the males probably weren't sterile because the vet had to come around with the beefmaker to castrate them, but the mixed breed steers always yielded good beef.

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SteerJock t1_j6lo4vu wrote

Dairy cattle are still fed to weight and harvested. They're not just thrown into a pit if they aren't useful for milking.

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Diplodocus114 t1_j6lwve9 wrote

We had heifers and bullocks here. Both referring to young cattle not yet suitable for breeding. The bullocks were sent for slaughter.

A female was then called a 'cow' once she had a calf and deemed suitable for milking.

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Kooky-Cry-4088 t1_j6lyhm2 wrote

Someone already answered it but bulls are still fed out. They don’t gain as quickly but they’re still worth $2500 a piece at time of harvest… Holstein also is some of the highest marbling meat you’ll find grades choice and prime more often than many other cattle just takes more time and feed.

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3kid100chicken t1_j6kq64f wrote

This must depend on location, In central Wisconsin they are raised as steers and sent to market.

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CapNBall1851 t1_j6luna2 wrote

It happens with cattle everywhere other than Reddit.

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cashwins t1_j6l4j2s wrote

Most freemartin calves are NOT euthanized. They make for an ideal beef animal thus are valuable from a production standpoint.

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jumper7210 t1_j6kn8fb wrote

Really stupid that they get euthanized as the freemartins we had made pretty good cuts of beef when raised right

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AdhesiveMuffin t1_j6l7trr wrote

The commenter is likely just misusing the word. They definitely aren't "euthanized" but raised for slaughter

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gwaydms t1_j6ktz2j wrote

I saw one on Dr. Pol where a bull tried to mate with a freemartin (the owner didn't know that's what she was). Vet closed the wound and she was raised as a steer. Away from the bull!

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AlphabearPSK t1_j6kxelt wrote

It does not happen a lot in other ruminants. Considering we want at a minimum twins in small ruminants, this occurring would be detrimental. In 29 years of raising sheep and goats, I have never had a freemartin.

On top of that, if it were to occur they wouldn't just euthanize the calf/kid/lamb since it is perfectly healthy. They would try breeding if they were uncertain of freemartinism occurring and if it wasn't successful it would then become meat.

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mrparovozic t1_j6l1rvx wrote

Not really euthanized. They are still good as beef

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