Calf birth shock

Paul Dunlop
THE old adage that two heads are better than one sadly has not rung true.
A doubleheaded calf was stillborn last week on a farm at Garfield.
The calf had two heads, two necks and two spines but was joined from the shoulders to the pelvis, a bovine equivalent of Siamese twins.
In a lifetime on the land, farmer Neil Cowie said he had never seen anything like it.
Mr Cowie has already had three or four sets of twin calves born at his Thirteen Mile Road property this sesason and thought he was about to see another.
“We called the vet because the mum was distressed; he had to do a Caesarean because the calf was so big we couldn’t get it out naturally,” Mr Cowie said.
“I had thought it might be twins but we got a real surprise.”
The emergency operation was performed by Dr Neil Lukies from Bunyip Veterinary Clinic, with support from Mr Cowie and his young son Kameren.
Dr Lukies was able to save the mother, who is making a steady recovery after her ordeal. Sadly, her calf did not live.
Dr Lukies said the calf was really two calves that had not properly separated.
In almost 30 years working in the district, Dr Lukies had twice seen similar cases, most recently six or seven years ago.
“I’m hoping I don’t see it again,” Dr Lukies said.
“There are probably 30,000 calves born each year in this area so it is a pretty rare occurrence. Most farmers would never see that in their lifetime.
“It was virtually the equivalent of two calves, it weighed about 80 kilograms which is big.”
Calving season is coming to an end around the district. But the bizarre birth at Mr Cowie’s farm is likely to be the talk of the rural community for some time to come.