Longford farmer’s triplet calves beat 1 in 150,000 odds
Granard farmer Noel Boyle received a surprise when his cow gave birth to healthy triplet calves - with odds of all three surviving estimated at around 1 in 150,000
More good news emerged from the Granard wing of Longford’s agri-maternity ward this week when a cow belonging to farmer Noel Boyle gave birth to triplet calves, an extremely rare occurrence.
The odds of a cow giving birth to triplets are estimated at around 1 in every 105,000 births. The chances of all three calves surviving the birth however are even slimmer, coming in at around 1 in every 150,000.
He added, “When the first calf came out, she was very small. I went for the second one then and I had a bit of work to keep her alive. I don’t know what possessed me to look for a third but I did and it was a bull so I had a bit of work to get him out but he was alright. They’re all flying it now. I gave them extra milk on another cow as well so they can run with the two cows.”
The week before the arrival of the triplets, Noel also welcomed two sets of twin calves.
“We’re multiplying here!” he laughs.
Luck certainly seems to be in favour of Granard farmers this month.
As reported recently, a ewe belonging to John Kiernan gave birth to quads for the third time in a row.