Double the dads, triple the offspring

Photo / Sarah Ivey

A Fonterra farmer in Tasmania says one of his friesian cows has given birth to triplets - sired by two different bulls.

Fonterra supplier Andrew Carter told the Hobart Mercury newspaper that the calves were one full-blood friesian calf and two jersey-friesian crosses.

Mr Carter said a jersey bull and a friesian bull had been running with the cows on his farm at Ringarooma.

He said while the calves had no monetary value to him, he could not help but feel attached to the mother and her babies.

The triplets do not have names.

"I can't think of any except Huey, Dewey, and Louie, but there's probably a copyright on that," Mr Carter said.

He said he would like to see the triplets go to a good home, but if not they would be sold to the bobby calf market.

Scottsdale vet Colleen Stewart said the cow must have ovulated three times, or twice, with one embryo splitting.

"I've only seen triplets once, but to have two different dads - it's very rare," she said.

- NZPA