AN Orkney farmer got a surprise over Easter as one of his cows gave birth to four healthy calves.

Brian Omand from Stembister Farm, Toab, calved the 12-year-old Aberdeen-Angus cross cow naturally and all four of her offspring – three bulls and a heifer – are up and doing well.

Brian explained that a birth of this nature is a rare occurrence and that usually if a cow had more than twins she would lose condition, but that that hadn't been the case in this instance.

He said: "The calves are all healthy, all the same size and full of life. The cow is healthy too. She’s quite old at 12, and she didn’t look like she was going to have that many beforehand — she was just on a normal diet with the rest of them."

It is thought that there is only a one in a million chance of quadruplets from a cow being born alive and healthy.