Five kids: Rare goat quintuplets born at Beacon Hill Children’s Farm in Victoria

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WATCH: It was a long and busy night for staff at the Beacon Hill Children’s Farm, but it was the busiest for Alexis the goat, who is a proud mother of five.

There are five tiny new additions to the Beacon Hill Children’s Farm in Victoria.

Mama goat Alexis, who is a mix between a Nigerian Dwarf goat and an African pygmy goat, gave birth to quintuplets earlier this morning.

“It was around 2:30 when we heard Alexis had contractions and then we rushed up here,” Claudia Laube, who has worked at the farm for around 8 years, said.

“They were born maybe around three in the morning.”

A goat at Beacon Hill Children's Farm gave birth to five kids on April 10, 2018.

A goat at Beacon Hill Children’s Farm gave birth to five kids on April 10, 2018.

A set of goat quintuplets is a rare occurrence and has only happened once before since the farm opened 33 years ago.

“It doesn’t happen very often,” Laube said. “One in 10,000 goat [births].”

Laube said they are happy with the birth although it was a bit touch-and-go for one of the goats, now named OHenry, who initially had a hard time breathing and couldn’t walk.

“His body temperature was very low,” Laube said. “We put him in a heating blanket, we syringe-fed him. He’s actually doing quite good now.”

Alexis had three babies during her last birth and Laube said they did not know quintuplets would be born on Tuesday.

“She was a rather big pregnant goat but you never know how it turns out,” Laube said.

WATCH: Alexis and her five babies at Beacon Hill Children’s Farm in Victoria.

Goat Quintuplets in Victoria

Goat Quintuplets in Victoria

Duration 1m

The two newborn male kids are OHenry and Rolo, while the girls were named Tootsie, Snickers, and Smarties. Laube said later they will go to a bigger pen for more playtime and then in about a week, may come outside.

“They are pretty special to us,” Laube said.

Alexa HuffmanAlexa Huffman

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