Triplet bull calves an udder surprise for southwestern Manitoba farmer

A farmer in southwestern Manitoba was surprised this week by the rare birth of healthy bull calf triplets.

Henry Wolf farms north of Holmfield, Man., about 230 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, with a herd of 33 cows along with a major grain operation.

On Tuesday evening he went to check on his herd and saw onewas in labour. He quickly placed her in the birthing barn where she promptly dropped her first calf.

Wolf says he expected a second calf was on the way due to "telltale signs,"but the third calf was a complete surprise.

"It's kind of neat to see this cow having triplets.She knew something was going on and all the hormones going through her," Wolf said. "There's no timing, there's no real warnings. You get little hints here and there."

It was a pretty exciting experience, Wolf says , especially because he had to help with the second calf, which was breached.

He knew what to do in that situation thanks to a Manitoba Beef Producers workshop on calving he had attended. Ironically, one of the scenarios covered was the one he faced Tuesday.

Wolf says he considers himself lucky he had that knowledge so he could get the second calf out and the third one could be delivered naturally.

He says the three young bulls and their mom are doing really well.

"I did pick up milk replacers just to have on hand and supplement them here a little bit, but mom's doing a great job of actually keeping track of them," he said. "She kind of pushes one aside if it has nursed recently and gets one of the ones that hasn't been."

Odds 1 in 100,000

Cindy Jack, who works for Manitoba Agriculture to provide unbiased advice to producers about different issues, says she has never seen a set of triplet calves the closest she came was a set born on her parent's farm in 1995 before she was born.

It is unusual for multiple calves from a single birthto be healthy because they're often smaller in size and can face complications when they are born, she says.

"It's extremely rare," Jack said. "Triplets are like a one-in-100,000 chance, and it's even more rare to have them be all the same sex and all healthy."

Farmers put a lot of work into their calving season, Jack says, especially in the winter when they often have to check on their herd every couple hoursto make sure they're not suffering from the cold.

"Farmers are truly worked extremely hard it's not just a job for them, right? It's a lifestyle," Jack said. "They [cows] can't tell you, 'Oh, I'm gonna only calve between 8:00 and 5:00,' right? They could calve anytime during the day, so they always have to be constantly checking their heifers and assisting when needed."

Calving season 'rolling the dice'

Having the knowledge to help a calving cow can be life-saving for some animals, says Callum Carson,genereal manager at Manitoba Beef Producers.

The seamless birth of the triplets shows why these skills matter, Carson says, and underlines the role producers play in ensuring calves are born healthy and safe.

The calving workshops in January featured a local Manitoba veterinarian and simulation cow, Carson says. The aim is to give producers a sense of how to tackle calving challenges, skills that are becoming essential on the farm because there is a veterinary shortage in the province.

"You're rolling the dice a bit when it comes to calving season. I mean you have a general sense when a cow is going to give birth," Carson said. "It's rare to have triplets overall, but it was great to see that these ones were so, so healthy and that this, you know, new producer was able to get them on the ground."