Imagine going to the hospital thinking that you were about to have one baby, but instead you give birth to four! Something similar happened to the Beldo family in Minnesota, but not exactly the same. You see, it was actually one of their cows who gave birth to surprise quadruplets!
The Beldos live on a farm that has been in the family for generations — since they homesteaded it in 1882. It’s an official Minnesota Century Farm. Cattle farming is simply what their family does.
But, even though the Beldo’s are very experienced cattle farmers, they didn’t expect four little bundles of joy to arrive safe and healthy, in spite of all the odds. The birth of the cow’s quadruplets was part of a routine calving season on the farm. However, before she gave birth, Deb and Chuck Beldo’s daughter, Jamie, said that they noticed the cow was looking a little bigger than the pregnant cows they’ve tended to in the past.
She told Minnesota Public Radio:
“Mom had noticed she was large but didn’t think too much of it. Twins are fairly common. Actually, they had a set of twins born earlier this year, but unfortunately, they came during the crazy cold weather we had in April and they didn’t make it.”
Cows often give birth in the very early spring and cold temperatures can be dangerous for the newborns. This is especially true in the case of twins and multiples, who are often smaller than a single calf. But, even in the best of weather and circumstances, it is unlikely that quadruplet calves would survive. But, it seems like this cow and her babies are defying the odds.
The veterinary textbook “Veterinary Obstetrics and Genital Diseases,” places the odds of a cow having quadruplet calves at 1 in 700,000. However, the odds of all four calves being born alive are closer to 1 in 11.2 million. We often like to describe an event like this as “one in a million,” but these amazing quadruplets are much rarer than that!
With a little help from Deb and Chuck, the four calves made it through the critical first night and are doing just fine. Momma is getting a little help caring for the calves since she definitely has her hands (or hooves) full! Best wishes to the Beldo’s and their new additions!
Watch more about this extraordinary story in the video below, and feel free to like and share the incredible miracle with your friends and family!
