Goat surprises owner by giving birth to quintuplets

MECHANICSVILLE, Iowa—Ralph Burge had to count three times to make sure what he saw was real. His reliable nanny goat, Honeybear, had given birth to five baby goats, or kids.

Burge, a longtime goat owner, says he's never seen anything like it. A year or so ago Honeybear had another litter -- with just three kids.

Scientists say that Burge is right to be amazed. Curt Youngs, an associate professor in animal science at Iowa State University, says that while goats can have up to six or seven kids at a time, they rarely do.

He says estimates show quintuplets happen in about one in 10,000 goat births.

Burge and his wife, Helen, have yet to decide on names for the five kids. For now, they're calling them A, B, C, D and E.