Cow gives birth to twins of different breeds

A cow has baffled experts after giving birth to twin calves of different breeds. The odd occurrence happened when farmer Vic Phillips, 27, mated his Aberdeen Angus bull Eric with a Simmental heifer, called Jemima.

The result was twin calves Ernie and Emily but Mr Phillips from Mudgley Lodge Farm, Rooksbridge in Somerset believes they are both different breeds. Ernie came out a fawn colour and is the same breed as his mother a Simmental while Emily is darker shade of black and brown is apparently an Aberdeen Angus.

Mr Phillips said: "It happens but it is quite rare. I thought there must have been a mistake and another cow had given birth as well but it turned out that they were twins. "We have only been farming for two-and-a-half years this is our first ever set of twins."



The farmer says he only has one bull, Eric, so it is not possible that another bull mated with Jemima. Wife Trish Phillips said: "Normally when you get twins they are both the same breed but we got one of each which is really rare. They are both doing really well and we are delighted with our unusual twins."

Ron McHattie, chief executive of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society, said it was a unique report in his experience. "I've never heard of this before," he said."I don't know how it could have happened."

"Though I suppose if the heifer had mated with two different bulls of different breeds on the same day two different eggs could have been fertilised and she would have conceived twins of different breeds."