A cow in Northeast Texas has welcomed four healthy calves, affectionately named Eeny, Meeny, Miny, and Moo.
On Monday, Jimmy Barling announced that DNA tests would be performed on tissue samples from the calves to confirm they all share the same mother.
Among the calves, three are male and one is female.
“We knew she was expecting, but we never anticipated this,” said the 76-year-old Barling. “It was a complete surprise. We were blown away.”
Located near DeKalb, close to the borders of Arkansas and Oklahoma, Barling’s wife, Dora Rumsey-Barling, manages their herd of about 20 cattle.
Barling shared that the names for the four black calves were chosen by Rumsey-Barling’s granddaughter.
Local veterinarian Mike Baird noted that such births are “extremely rare.”
He explained that the odds of a single cow giving birth to four healthy calves are about 1 in 11.2 million.
Baird knows the family well and is quite certain that all four calves came from the same cow, rather than another cow in the vicinity giving birth to one or two and then leaving, which could create the impression that all four belong to the Barlings’ cow.
“For the sake of science and the welfare of animals, this is something that must be confirmed without any doubt,” he remarked.
The couple decided to check on the cow after noticing buzzards circling above, and they ended up staying to witness the birth of her fourth calf.
They depend on their neighbors to help feed the four calves since the mother cow is unable to manage it on her own.
Moo remains with her mother, while Eeny, Meeny, and Miny are being cared for by two different individuals.
Meeny is the lightest of the calves, weighing in at about 25 pounds.
A healthy calf typically weighs about 75 pounds at birth. Some of the quadruplets have experienced difficulties in standing up.
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