KIKINO – Having triplet healthy calves born on a farm is a rare situation - even more so when it occurs twice within a few years.
Amisk River Ranch, which is run by Rebecca McDonald and her family, recently welcomed three female baby heifers at their farm. Amish River Ranch is located in Kikino Métis Settlement, about 15 kilometres south of the hamlet of Lac La Biche.
In 2021, a set of triplets - two males and one female - were born on the ranch. When asked how it feels to have a second set of live triplets born on the family farming operation, McDonald says it’s a great feeling.
“I think it’s such a blessing to be able to see that, not just see it, but see it twice in our career as ranchers . . . that’s pretty amazing,” she says.
The three identical, tiny female triplets were born on April 10.
McDonald explained that the calves, who came into the world without any extra assistance, are currently with their mother, a five-year-old Angus cross cow.
At 6 a.m., the mother had one of the baby heifers, and a second one was born an hour later. At that time, McDonald says the mother was looking as though there was something wrong, as she was still labouring.
“My husband went out to go check on her, and there was a third calf when he got there,” she explains.
According to McDonald, it is very uncommon for three live calves to be born without either the babies or the mother requiring human assistance.
When asked what names will be given to these triplets, McDonald replied by saying they are waiting for their oldest granddaughter to name them.
As for where the calves will go from here, McDonald explains that one of the babies will eventually need to be fed separately from its mother, as she will not have enough milk for all three.
The mom, she says, will need extra feed to continue nursing the two others and keep up her milk production.
When McDonald and her family members start moving the other pairs of heifers to pasture in mid to late May, the mother will remain with her babies as she is moved with the replacement heifers for the duration of the summer months.
In the fall, the cows come in from pasture. The steers are sold and heifers that are kept on the ranch over the winter are backgrounded.
“The babies will stay with the mom until fall,” she explains.
