A strange baby cow was born with five legs on a farm in Thailand.

Farmer Kasem Jaikang, 61, found that his favourite female cow had given birth to the rare calf in Trang province on January 4.

Kasem checked the male baby and found an extra leg with two hooves jutting out from its torso while its other limbs appeared normal. He named it ‘Lucky’ as he believed that it would bring him good luck.

The calf's mother, Langsat, was the offspring of a famous wrestling bull in the south of the country. It has given birth to more than ten healthy calves in the three years that Kasem has raised it.

Lucky was the only calf in the farm to be born with five legs. Villagers have been visiting Kasem to offer to buy the cow but he has refused.

He said: ‘My female cow is very protective of Lucky, but she allows me to carry him because I am the owner. I have never seen a cow that looked like Lucky, so I plan on raising him myself.

‘The mother has given birth to a total of 14 cows and Lucky is the only one that looks different. I will keep him near my house to prevent people from stealing him at night.’

Lucky is believed to have polymelia, a birth defect that causes extra limbs to grow from the body.

A 2002 study in Switzerland found that the condition is extremely rare but not fatal. Researchers said that out of every 100,000 cattle born worldwide, fewer than four have extra limbs.