A GLIMMER of hope has shone through the dusty aftermath of one of the worst droughts on record for Clermont Droughtmaster breeder Sonya Harvey after waking to find one of her young breeders with three calves at foot.
The heifer triplets were discovered Monday morning after their mother was left behind during mustering about four weeks ago.
"Her mob of breeders have been out on the leucaena paddock and we went out to muster them but left her and another cow behind because they'd just calved out so we knew they wouldn't make it back to the yard if we pushed them," Sonya said.
"I went out and swung the gate back and opened up the paddock for them to come through when their calves were ready and I woke up yesterday and found them waiting to come through."
Sonya has just finished harvesting a sorghum crop on the 4050-hectare property Kenlogan, 60 kilometres north east of Clermont, and said the lack of moisture meant there would not be a winter crop.
"We're back down to 300 head of breeders now and have been offloading for the last four weeks to try and cut back our numbers."
Facing the reality of destocking and the struggle to continue feeding supplement, Sonya said it was good to see the calves doing so well.
"Their mum has been on good tucker and even though this is only her second season, she's very good with them.
"We've drafted her out with the calves into a holding paddock and started her on a grain supplement to keep her condition up while she feeds them.
"It's just a big shock to us - we've had twins before but never triplets."
Sonya said it was vital to keep an eye on the calves over the coming weeks to ensure they continued to do well.
"We haven't had a chance to name them yet, we're just putting all our energy into making sure they're okay."