14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this month, a cow living at a farm in De Kalb, a city in Texas, US, delivered as many as four calves. Since cows usually give birth to just one offspring, this set of quadruplets are now grabbing headlines, and rightfully so.
Vets say that the chances of having a cow conceive quadruplets are merely 1:700,000. The odds of having a cow not only conceive but actually deliver four alive and well calves, on the other hand, are as low as 1:11.2 million.
The birth took everyone by surprise
The four calves, shown in the photo below, were born to a regular red cow and an Angus bull. The cow's owners did not even know that the animal was expecting, let alone that it was carrying quadruplets.
On the day that the calves were born, owners Dora Rumsey-Barling and husband Jimmy were just minding their own business when buzzards alerted them that something was happening in the field not far from their home.
They rushed to see what was making the birds agitated and found the mother cow lying in the grass together with three calves. Soon enough, a fourth one appeared, much to the surprise and delight of both Dora and Jimmy.
“She lay down and the fourth one started coming out and we watched the birth of the fourth one,” Dora Rumsey-Barling said, as cited by My San Antonio. “It was really exciting. The adrenaline was flowing with us!” she added.
Shortly after birth, the four calves, three bulls and a heifer, were named Eeny, Meeny, Miny and Moo. Apart from the fact that they are a tad smaller than most other calves, they all seem to be perfectly healthy.
Neighbors are helping raise the calves
Since the four calves all have quite an appetite, whatever milk their mother can make for them just isn't enough. Luckily, a few of Dora and Jimmy's neighbors offered to help raise them.
Thus, three of them are now living at nearby farms where they are being nursed by other mother cows. Just one of the quadruplets was allowed to stay by its mother's side.
