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A Charolais calf is causing a stir in Mallow, Co Cork, after it was born in the last few days, weighing just 21.9kg and standing at 23.5 inches tall.
The calf is the progeny of a pure-bred Charolais bull and cow.
James Kelly is the farmer who owns the calf and told the Irish Farmers Journal that the rest of the calves born this year were normal-sized.
He said that the cow is on her fifth lactation and all previous calves from her have been perfect.
“Nobody copped it at all. When we went out and found the calf in the field, we thought she was a twin… but we couldn’t find another calf in the field.
Scanning
“She was scanned as in-calf in September/October, but not that she was carrying twins. We measured it with the tape and it’s only 24 inches.”
James’s daughter Leona said that the calf is “tiny”.
“It’s like a dwarf calf. The calf can walk straight under the cow.”
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