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Alberta Farm Celebrates Rare Birth of Triplet Calves

By Farms.com

In the quiet early hours of a cold January morning, a family farm located near Morinville, Alberta, was bustling with unexpected excitement. The farm, known for its livestock, witnessed an extraordinary event that would soon make headlines: the birth of triplet calves.

This rare occurrence has turned the farm into a local attraction, drawing attention from neighbours and fellow farmers eager to witness the trio first-hand.

Triplet births in cattle are exceedingly rare, with the odds being reported as one in 105,000. However, for this family, it felt like a one-in-a-million miracle.

Each year, the farm welcomes 50 to 60 new calves, with twins occasionally appearing, but triplets were never part of their experience until now. The survival of all three calves is nothing short of a miracle, given the complications that can arise from multiple births in cattle.

The family was prepared for the arrival of the calves, although the presence of three instead of the anticipated one or two was a complete surprise.

The smallest of the trio required some extra care, including bottle feeding, to ensure a healthy start in life. Remarkably, all three calves have shown good growth and vitality, much to the delight of the family and their community.

The triplet calves have quickly become celebrities on the farm, with visitors coming by to see them and the family's children assigning them star-studded names. Such occurrences highlight the unpredictable nature of farming and the joys it can bring.

The event has sparked conversations about genetics and the likelihood of future multiple births for the mother cow, adding an interesting twist to the farm's breeding discussions.


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Reducing Nursery Feed Costs Without Losing Performance - Dr. Julian Arroyave

Video: Reducing Nursery Feed Costs Without Losing Performance - Dr. Julian Arroyave


In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Julian Arroyave, a research swine nutritionist at Carthage Innovative Swine Solutions, discusses nursery feed budget strategies designed to reduce costs without compromising pig performance. He explains trials comparing high, medium, and low phase 1 and phase 2 feed budgets, including commercial validation data showing improved income over feed cost when lower-budget programs were applied under healthy herd conditions. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/tas/article/...

"Results showed that the low-budget program increased income over feed cost by $1.48 per pig."

Meet the guest: Dr. Julian Arroyave / julian-arroyave-jaramillo-638740129 is a research swine nutritionist at Carthage Innovative Swine Solutions, with experience in nursery nutrition, diet formulation, and commercial research trials. He completed his PhD at Kansas State University and previously worked as a nutrition supervisor at Kekén in Mexico. His work focuses on nutritional strategies that improve production efficiency while controlling feed costs. Learn more from Dr. Julian Arroyave Jaramillo on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.