'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
Trump delivers rambling response to his hush money conviction
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a press conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
How did Ontario's bankrupt 'Crypto King' travel the world on Scene+ points?
Newly released documents suggest Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ paid for months of world travels with $13,000 worth of Scene+ points while bankrupt – but how?
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Solutions coming for piled-up bodies outside Newfoundland hospital
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they are only weeks away from a solution to move unclaimed human remains out of roadside freezers and into a nearby hospital.
Jurors weigh death penalty after finding Chad Daybell guilty of killing his first wife and second wife's 2 children
A day after delivering a guilty verdict in Chad Daybell’s murder trial, an Idaho jury will reconvene Friday to weigh whether he will face the death penalty.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.