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At first triplets, but wait, there’s more

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Published: March 17, 2016

Quadruplet calves are doing well on the Lamport family farm near Alida, Sask. |Photo supplied

Quadruplet calves are doing well on the Lamport family farm near Alida, Sask.

When Calvin Lamport, son Layne and daughter Kayla delivered three calves from a five-year-old Charolais-cross cow on March 4, they were happy with the result.

The cow had twins in each of the previous two years, so triplets were considered a bonus.

But half an hour later, the cow had a fourth calf, bringing the grand total to 189 pounds of offspring. Two of them weighed 46 lb. each, one weighed 47 and the largest weighed 50 lb.

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“They’re all doing really well,” said Kayla Lamport on March 9.

“Right now they’re being shared between two mothers so that they can all stay together. They just mix and match. The calves just kind of go with whatever cow is closest.”

The Lamports bought a Holstein nurse cow to provide extra milk for the four-calf brood, which comprises two bulls and two heifers named Abbigail, Bruce, Charly and Duke. They are the ABCD of this year’s calving season.

The Lamport operation, which also includes sibling Cole, raise about 80 head of Charolais-cross cattle. Kayla said the cow definitely has a future in the family herd.

About the author

Barb Glen

Barb Glen

Barb Glen is the livestock editor for The Western Producer and also manages the newsroom. She grew up in southern Alberta on a mixed-operation farm where her family raised cattle and produced grain.

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