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Update: 30 October 1997
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Researchers from the Tropical Beef Centre at Rockhampton were amazed recently when one of their cows gave birth to live heifer quadruplets – possibly the only case of a successful live birth of cattle quads known to have happened in Australia.
Dr John Frisch, the CSIRO scientist in charge of the crossbreeding study said that live quads in cattle are an extreme rarity – literally millions to one.
In humans the likelihood of quadruplets is much higher, he says. In 1994 in America alone there were 315 reported cases of quads being born.
Dr Frisch said that the cow which gave birth to the quads, a first cross Brahman x Boran, had conceived through artificial insemination at CSIRO’s "Belmont" research station. As part of the process, her reproductive cycles were synchronised using hormone treatments.
"One of the hormones she received can cause multiple ovulation and this appears to have happened in this case. What is really rare is for all of the resulting embryos to produce live, full-term calves," Dr Frisch says.
"We have been using the hormone treatment at "Belmont" for 8 years and although a few cows have had twins, none have ever previously produced quads. I am not aware of any other sets of live quads being born in Australia," he says.
Dr Frisch added that in extensive grazing situations, multiple births usually result in high calf mortality. It is therefore possible that other quads have been born but have passed unnoticed. "But that is certainly not the case at Belmont," he says.
Three of the quad calves are now being reared by Mrs Jan Quilty who lives
on the Belmont research station.
More information:
Dr John Frisch, CSIRO 079 360 144
Yance Jones, CSIRO 07 3377 0394
Picture of quads (Click for full size - 334 KB)