MAXWELL, Neb. (AP)--"It's twins-- again!"

Ron Roberts, who lives northeast of Maxwell, has been saying that a lot this spring.

He's started off the calving season with 11 sets of twins out of 52 head of cattle that have already calved.

Roberts said he really hasn't done anything out the ordinary this year to cause this occurrence of twins other than using a wet gluten feeding supplement.

Roberts said he was surprised at how many twins have been born early in the calving season. However, Sherrill Echternkamp, a research physiologist at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, said twins coming early is not unusual.

"Twins take a shorter gestation period and are usually born early," Echternkamp said.

Roberts said he sold three of the calves, one twin died and another calf was given to a surrogate mother who lost her calf.

Some of Roberts' cows and their twins were being kept in separate pens away from the rest of the herd recently.

Roberts said if they move them out to the pasture with the other mothers, the cows may lose one of the calves.

"Cows aren't made to have twins. They tend to forget they have two," Roberts said.

Roberts' twin calves are all different colors. Red calves, black calves and even a light grey calf with a white blaze. One black white-faced cow has a grey calf and a red calf, and another cow has a red calf and a black calf.

"They are definitely fraternal twins not identical," Roberts said.

Roberts plans to sell one twin from each set in his herd.

"I have to keep one set just in case I need a spare," Roberts said.

Date: 3/24/05