Anglesey farmer's shock after cow gives birth to triplets

NFU Cymru described the births as a "once in a lifetime" experience

A farmer was left stunned when one of his cows gave birth to triplets in a "once in a lifetime" event.

Cenydd Lewis Owen, who runs a farm with his wife and mother in Gaerwen, Anglesey, had expected twin calves.

When the second calf was born he went off to have lunch, only to return a short while later and discover there was one more still to deliver.

He said: "It's unbelievable. In the last days of pregnancy, she was huge - she was like a beach ball."

Beef farmer Mr Owen, 44, said the calves - jokingly nicknamed one, two and three - would stay together and be kept as breeding heifers.

"It would be a shame to split them up, so they can spend the rest of their lives together. They deserve to be kept together," he said.

The calves were born to a Hereford bull named Loose Cannon and a Belgian blue cross and are in good health.

National Farmers' Union of Wales estimated the chance of triplet calves being born was a 1-100,000.

"To have twins doesn't happen often, but I've seen a few twins in the past - but triplets is something I've never seen before," Mr Owen added.

"I started phoning my other farmer friends and they came over to see, everyone was stunned."