Bigger Question, How Weird?

[Mueller Show Cattle]

This just gets better by the day, last week I post the topic about my cow having twin bull calves that both were dead. Now that same cow just had a single black and white calf, unknown sex yet. So this is what the breeding was last year, I AI'd her to walks Alone twice that I did not think she took as she came back into heat and turned her in with the bull that bred her also as like I said in the post of her twins that were dead, I watched her get bred by the bull. The dead calves were not from any other cows as she showed the signs of past labor and everything else already calved as she was last to calve. Now almost a week later, she had another calf that is up doing well sucking on her that was not from any other cow. How does this happen???  ???. Not that I'm complaining as I got a live calf out of her this year that is great but was she carrying 3 calves, like I said she is a huge cow. DL or any of you others that have any knowledge of this? I know one thing for now one, she is getting altrasounded after every breeding season, 3 calves? I have not seen the calf yet, my wife just called me and told me, like I said she was last to calve, I would have thought this calf would have came out with the twins, good thing it did not or it might have been dead also. So were the 2 dead bull calves (red and black all 1 solid color) from my AI to walks alone and this black and white calf from the bull as both the bull and the cow are black with white on there belly. Got me stumped.

 

[Gargan]

thats really weird... im anxious to see some explanation of this as well! (pop)

 

[KFShorthorns]

This is the second such incident I have heard about like this this spring.  A large commercial operation here had a similar incident a few weeks ago but with twins, and they both lived! Two live calves born 4 days apart to the same cow...definitely weird.  The strictly anatomical explanation is that each calf was within its own placenta inside of the cow and was not affected by the birth of the other calf and was still able to receive nutrients from momma cow after the birth of the other due to being in its own placenta.  They too were from a cow that had been AI'd and then turned out with a clean up bull shortly after.  Definitely more interesting that yours had 3...I'd venture a guess that the first 2 were likely twins (same placenta) and the third was retained within the cow, I find it very surprising that the other calf is seemingly not affected by the birth of the other(s) and is capable of staying within the cow thru all the contractions...but weird things happen I guess.  A month ago I may have doubted hearing a story like this, but I have talked to a handful of people that work at the large operation here that have all confirmed the story to me.

It'd be anybodies guess on the sire of each calf I think, I imagine carrying triplets (possibly at different stages of development) has the potential to really alter a gestation length.  Congrats on the live calf tho! I imagine that'd be quite a pleasant surprise after thinking you were stuck with dead twins!

 

[cornish]

one time many moons ago-- our best cow delivered a heifer calf at night-- we found it the next morning out in the open killed by the 'yotes.  we brought the cow up to the house to milk out colostrum in case we'd need it, and kicked her back out to pasture.  The next morning- she again was found nursing another heifer calf- again hers-- as she was the only cow of that breed in the whole pen, and it was quite obvious as to who to who the parents were.

 

[farmboy]

It happens. We had a thread on it last year i think?