Gallery: Rare triplet calves make first outdoor trip at Järva farm

A rare trio of calf triplets born in late July took their first trip outside this week, at a farm in Järva County.
Triplets are born in just one out of every 100,000 calvings, making the birth, at the Peetri Põld ja Piim AS farm, around 100 kilometers from Tallinn, all the more unusual.
Two heifer calves and one bull calf were born, the farm's livestock manager Getter Niilo told "Aktuaalne kaamera."
"The boy and one of the girls look alike, while the other girl takes after her mother, meaning black is the dominant color. On the day they were born, the triplets immediately got special attention and were monitored for several hours. There was also a large group here that day who witnessed the birth of the triplets," Niilo went on.
"We didn't actually know triplets were coming. About a month after insemination, we carried out a pregnancy check and initially only found twins. The third was a surprise to everyone," said farm manager Kristjan Satsi.

Not only was the birth a surprise, but so too was the fact all three calves have survived, Satsi noted. "Their survival rate is also only 50 percent. These are the first live triplets born during my time here. The beginning was difficult, especially for the bull calf, but now they're drinking and running around. Everyone is happy."
Carrying triplets places a very heavy strain on a cow, as she can lose up to 150 kilograms after calving in this case, he noted.
The calves were separated from their mother immediately after birth, but by Wednesday when "Aktuaalne kaamera" visited they had grown stronger, and were allowed outside to meet their mother for the first time.
"She is a very good dairy cow. During her first lactation she produced almost 12,000 kilograms of milk, during her second almost 18,000, and now she has started her third with triplets," Niilo added.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Johanna Alvin
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera'











