Sedgewick farm welcomes rare triplet calves again

A Sedgewick, Alta., cattle farm welcomed a second set of triplet calves in as many years, a rare event celebrated by the family

Triplet Calves Born at Lucky 7 Cattle Co. in Alberta

Hours after Albertans celebrated the new year, Stacey Simpson, owner of Lucky 7 Cattle Co., was counting calves. “One, two, three?” she said, surprised.

Simpson, a purebred Red and Black Angus cattle farmer near Sedgewick, Alberta, noticed her five-year-old heifer, Dukey, showing signs of labor three hours into 2026.

What surprised her was that Dukey continued to show symptoms after birthing two calves.

Unexpected Triplets

“Just on my way out of the maternity pen, my dad looked at me and said, ‘I think you better try again,’” Simpson told CBC News. “I kind of rolled my eyes and I’m like, ‘OK, we’ll check.’”

“Sure enough, I’m shoulder-deep in this cow and I can just feel the tips on the feet on the third calf coming,” she added.

Stacey Simpson named her operation after a premature Hereford bull calf she rescued in 2007. She did not expect the name would predict future events.

Healthy Calves

Dukey’s triplets, named Carla, Darla, and Marla, were born healthy. Simpson and her family are grateful for this outcome. The odds of triplet calves being born and surviving are very low.

Remarkably, this is not the first set of thriving triplets at Lucky 7. Dukey’s mother had the farm’s first trio last year. Hewey, Dewey, and Louie are still part of the herd.

“All three of those calves presented correctly on delivery, so she probably could have had all three of those calves unassisted,” Simpson said.

Future of the Calves

Kylie Simpson, Stacey’s sister and fellow farmer, noted they only “run 35 cows.” She said, “The odds of it happening are so slim, period. But to have it happen twice is mind-blowing.”

The future of Carla, Darla, and Marla is still undecided. They may be kept for breeding or sold.

Stacey Simpson is enjoying the attention from this rare event. A video on Lucky 7 Cattle Co.’s Facebook page showing the mother and her calves has nearly two million views.

“We’ll probably keep up with Marla, Carla, and Darla throughout the year just because we’ve gained a huge social media following from it,” Simpson said.