1987 - Volume #11, Issue #5, Page #17

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Shorthorn Cow Gives Birth to Quadruplets

Shorthorn Cow Gives Birth to Quadruplets AG WORLD Ag World 11-5-17 A 13-year-old Shorthorn milk cow gave birth to quadruplets July 14 at the Lloyd Pope farm near Clear Lake, Iowa. All 4 calves are still healthy and expected to survive. Pope says his vet told him the only other calf quadruplets he'd heard about were born 20 years ago in Tennessee. And, he says, no one remembers if those calves survived. Pope's calves were born tiny, weighing only about 39 lbs. a week after birth. The calves made it through their early hours thanks to a neighbor who brought over frozen Brown Swiss colustrum. Two of the calves also received blood transfusions of a pint each from their mother. In the early weeks Pope, with the help of his family, fed one to two pints of milk to each calf every 6 hrs. The calves also nurse from their mother but there isn't enough milk there for all four. Pope notes that none of the calves are identical "twins". All have distinctly different markings. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lloyd Pope, Rt. 3, Clear Lake, Iowa 50428 (ph 515 747-2246).