'Healthy, happy calves': Cow gives birth to rare set of quadruplets in Saskatchewan
A Saskatchewan family won the bovine lottery after their cow gave birth to a rare set of quadruplets.
Mark and Erin Van Haastert raise cattle on a ranch near Bjorkdale, about 40 kilometres from Tisdale.
Erin was checking on the herd one cold spring morning when a cow made her do a double take.
“I could see two little heads sticking up and I thought ‘oh goodness a set of twins’,” she said.
She went to get a sleigh to help bring them into the barn, and she was soon met with another surprise.
“By the time I got back with a sleigh there was a third one, so then I thought “oh my goodness a set of triplets’,” Erin said.
But it didn’t stop there. When her husband Mark went to check on the cow an hour later he thought “holy cow” there’s a fourth one.
(Stacey Hein/CTV News)
The Van Haasterts said the calves were weak at first because they were born a few weeks premature.
“We just warmed them up. Spent a lot of time, the first two days, feeding them every couple hours, a cup at a time, just so they could survive,” Mark said.
The little heifers had a colour marking to tell them apart, but Van Haastert’s daughter wanted to take is a step further.
She named them ‘Orangala’ , ‘Greenelope’, ‘Bluethany’ and ‘Nobody’, while the mother cow was named ‘somebody’.
The Van Haasterts said the chances of conceiving quadruplet calves is about one in 700,000.
(Stacey Hein/CTV News)
Dr. Colin Palmer, a veterinarian who specializes in large animal reproduction, said quadruplet calves’ survival is extremely rare.
“Looking through reports, a number that you see come up for live-born quadruplets is one in 11.2 million,” he said.
calvesHe said the fact that this set beat the odds speaks to the dedication of Saskatchewan farmers. He added it’s remarkable the mother didn’t need any help at birth.“I think it’s amazing this occurred without intervention,” he said.
The Van Haasterts shared their story on social media and received an outpour of support. Erin said one woman in Nebraska, USA, offered to make individual name tags for each calf.
The quadruplets are now two weeks old and they’re thriving.
“So from here on in, they should be healthy, happy calves for the rest of their lives,” Erin said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event. The family asked for privacy and that people honor Murray by being kind to one another.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
'Inspires a sense of adventure': Sask. man conquers Mount Everest
A Saskatchewan man made it to the summit of Mount Everest earlier this month.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Indianapolis 500 delayed as strong storm forces fans to evacuate Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
At least 9 dead in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after severe weather roars across region
Powerful storms killed at least nine people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where drivers took shelter during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.