Rare chicken with 4 legs hatched at Mississippi Valley Fair
An Iowa fair might now be remembered most for a baby chicken that hatched Saturday - with four legs.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to clarify the Mississippi Valley Fair is held in Iowa.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (WHBF) — An Iowa fair might now be remembered most for a baby chicken that hatched Saturday — with four legs.
It happens to about 1 in every 10 million chicks, and this little bird quickly turned into a star attraction at the Mississippi Valley Fair.
"He looked like he was laying on top of another chick, and how wrong I was – he had four legs," farmer Gary Kaasa said. "You don't see the difference between him and anyone else until you turn him over. He has an extra set of legs back here."
Gary and Melody Kaasa raised these chickens on their small farm in Davenport, Iowa.
“I think he's getting used to the idea that these are gonna be his main legs and that's what he's using to balance and everything else,” Gary Kaasa said.
The Kaasas’ daughter is a veterinarian and agreed with her dad: other than two extra legs, the prognosis is good.
“This is going to be great and we plan on bringing him back next year and the following year," Gary Kaasa said, "and letting everybody see how he grows and how things happen like that.”
It's too soon to know whether the bird is a male or a female. Gary Kaasa said in about three weeks, he will be able to tell by the feather patterns.
He said that's when they will probably decide to give it a name – although they may have some ideas already.