A roan Shorthorn cow in Co Offaly delivered a major surprise in the form of two heifers and a bull calf for owner, 18-year-old Killian Wallace.
Speaking to Irish Farmers Journal, Killian, who farms sucklers and sheep outside Edenderry, Co Offaly, with his father Pete, said that while all cows were scanned, with some showing twins, that “three healthy calves is something we never expected, you don’t see that every day”.
In previous years, the five-year-old cow has had single calves, so the birth of three calves came as a “complete surprise”.
Birth
The three calves, sired by a Limousin stock bull, were born on Monday morning.
The Offaly suckler and sheep farmer stated that the calves were born without incident outside and “although the calves are small, they are full of life and can keep up with the cow no problem”.
Killian added that “she calved down herself, without any assistance. The calves were up straight away suckling from the cow.”
He plans to keep all three calves with the cow, as she has plenty of milk.
Farming system
Killian and Pete farm 50 suckler cows of mixed beef breeds, along with 150 ewes. They operate a spring-calving herd and finish all the sucklers themselves.
In addition to their own calves, they buy in additional weanlings around the one-year mark. Livestock are finished on site and sent to Moyvalley Meats, the local factory.
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