Two-Nosed Calf

Two-Nosed Calf AG WORLD Ag World 6-1-18 South Dakota rancher Bernard Noldner, of Murdo, was more than a little surprised last March when one of his eight-year old Hereford cows delivered this 2-nosed calf! "The calf has two noses and breathes through all four nostrils," reports Bernard's wife, Cheryl. "There is just one mouth opening, but two tongues which are connected in the center. She's alive and well although she has some problems with vision and coordination," Cheryl told FARM SHOW. The calf, named Super Sniffer, can't eat grain or hay because her two tongues extend only to the end of her mouth and can't pick up solid food. With four meals of milk replacer a day, though, she has grown from 40 lbs. at birth to about 145 lbs. now, Cheryl points out. Cheryl adds that Super Sniffer romps about the pasture with the other calves and her mother seems to be very proud of her unusual calf. "I could never give her to a circus," Cheryl notes, referring to suggestions from several people. "I'd be afraid she would be taken care of improperly." Editor's note: As this issue was going to press, Cheryl reported that "Super Sniffer" was put to rest. "Over a 1¢ week period, she started losing a very noticeable amount of weight and her æzest for life'. She needed solid foods but was unable to consume them because of her cleft palate. I tried feeding hay and grain to her, but she just couldn't manage it. After what seemed like a long ordeal, we decided to do what was best for her," Cheryl told FARM SHOW.

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