'1 in 400 million': Rare cow with two heads, four eyes born at a farm in Louisiana
In the rarest of incidents, a calf on a farm in southwest Louisiana was born with two faces, the farm where she was born, announced last month.
Breaux Farms in Cossinade, a community about 90 miles west of Baton Rouge, on Feb. 28 shared on Facebook, that one of their cows gave birth to a calf with two faces, four eyes, two noses, two mouths, and two ears.
The farm said that the chance of such a calf being born was "1 in 400 million" and that she would most likely have a short life span.
"She has beaten a lot of odds by being born alive and currently still alive at least 14 [hours] after birth," said the farm. "We have named this calf Deux Face, French for two face[s]."
The calf's condition is referred to as polycephaly, which is the condition of having more than one head. In most cases, such calves are stillborn, while some live for several hours or days, according to the Associated Press, with the oldest polycephaly calf having lived for almost 40 days.
Deux Face has been alive for almost two weeks now, according to the most recent update by Breaux Farms Monday. The farm said that the calf is "making positive progress" and is "getting a little stronger every day".
She has almost been able to hold up her head, something was unable to do earlier, while her legs are also getting stronger.
"We are hopeful she will be standing on her own before we know it," the farm said.
Breaux Farms has been regularly updating the followers with news and updates about Deux Face.
In one of the earliest updates, about a day after she was born, the farm said that Deux Face was having trouble lifting her head and was unable to stand on her own because of which her mother was unable to nurse her, and she had to be fed with a bottle. They also explained her two mouths connected at the back of the throat.
The following day, the farm said that they are consulting several vets to help with Deux Face's progress and that she does not "appear to be suffering or in any pain," adding that calf is feeding out of both her mouths.
"We are monitoring her constantly and taking it day by day," said the farm. "She has beaten many odds, but only time will tell her fate."
About five days after her birth, the farm said that they took the calf outside so she could get some sunshine and spend time with other cows. They also said that they are using a sling for support as she works on building strength in her leg muscles.
Almost a week after her birth, the farm said that Deux Face was progressing slowly and "getting a little stronger."
"This progress is very slow, but it is positive progress," said the farm. "She has pushed herself up twice in the past two days onto her feet for a few seconds, with us supporting her so she did not fall over. This may not seem like much but is getting her closer to standing on her own."
Meanwhile, Breaux Farms said that the calf is not for sale and that they are not allowing any visitors or members of the media for her safety.
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