‘I’ve never seen anything quite like this’ – twin calves born almost a week apart
18th February 2026
Brook Meadow farm and glamping retreat in Leicestershire has experienced a highly unusual twin calf birth.
One calf was born nearly a week after its twin, a phenomenon believed to be extremely rare.
The extraordinary event unfolded in the cowshed last week when a tiny newborn calf was discovered alongside what was thought to be the youngest calf in the group, already six days old. Astonishingly, the older calf turned out to be her twin brother, born nearly a week earlier.
Initially bewildered, the Black Aberdeen Angus mother, who had already welcomed a healthy bull calf, struggled to understand why a second caramel-coloured newborn was seeking her attention.
With gentle intervention from the Brook Meadow team, the mother and twins were brought together in a quiet pen and given time to bond. By morning, nature had worked its magic.
Mum had accepted both calves, and the twins are now happily feeding side by side despite their unusual six-day age gap.
Commenting on the extraordinary arrival, Jasper Hart, owner of Brook Meadow, said: “In all my years of farming, I’ve never seen anything quite like this. From what we’ve been able to find out, the chances of a delayed twin birth happening are incredibly small, thought to be around one in 200,000.”
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