Article Image Alt Text

The Levy triplet calves were born about five weeks ago. All three are healthy and growing. (Courtesy photo)

Champion family welcomes triplet calves this season

Calving season can be stressful on ranchers as well as the heifers and cows.
Multiple things can go wrong, especially if the cow has multiples.
The Levy family near Champion had a cow successfully deliver a set of triplets earlier this spring.
The odds are about one in 105,000 for a heifer or cow to deliver triplets, according to the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University.
Garland Dahlke from the Iowa Beef Center said multiples in general are very rare.
“It’s even more rare to have that many survive,” Dahlke added.
According to Rand Levy, this was the cow’s second birthing season.
“She’s only about three years old,” Levy said.
Levy said his son went out to the cornfield and found “a pair of them.”
“He came back by later and there was a third one,” he added.
There was no vet on site during the birth. The young cow delivered all three calves by herself without complications.
“We’re keeping them in (the pen) so we can keep feeding her a whole lot extra,” Levy said.
The Levy triplets were about 30-35 pounds apiece at birth.
Dahlke said normal birth weight is around 80 pounds.
Even though the triplets are on the smaller side, Levy said they’re thriving.

To read more on this and other stories, please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. https://etypeservices.com/Imperial%20RepublicanID359/

 

The Imperial Republican

308-882-4453 (Phone)

622 Broadway St

PO Box 727

Imperial, NE 69033