A calf was born at The Grey Barn Farm in Chilmark last week. With about 31 calves born a year at the farm, their arrival is not always noteworthy, but this one was different. He has blue eyes.

The calf was born to Louise, a Dutch Belted cow, and Plum, Grey Barn’s bull, last Wednesday at 5 p.m. On Friday the two-day-old blue-eyed calf had nimbly taken to the pastures, loping around on gangly legs.

The birth was a difficult one for Louise, who is an older cow. Little blue eyes is a big calf, estimated at 70 pounds at birth. He had to be pulled from his mother. Right away the farmers noticed his eye color. It’s the first blue-eyed cow born on the farm and the condition is rare, especially in Dutch Belteds.

Gamboling with mom. — Jeanna Shepard

“It’s not supposed to happen,” said Aaron Naves, who works on the certified organic Chilmark farm and has been doing research into the mutation. “But farmers see weird things all the time.”

The calf was tested for blindness, a common occurrence in blue-eyed calves, but it appears to have all its ocular functions. The calf’s light-colored eyes make it easier to see his pupil.

Along with his light-colored eyes, the calf's Oreo-colored coat is a lighter brown than the others.

“It’s part of the condition, that there’s a slight off-ness to their coloration,” said Mr. Naves, who believes the calf will keep his coloring as he grows.

Small enough to be carried — for now. — Jeanna Shepard

Mr. Naves’s interest in animal mutations began after he acquired a 32-inch, 20-pound rooster named Lenny for $5. He is now breeding large chickens at Grey Barn. With two small flocks, he said he is producing a better meat-to-bone ratio chicken for backyard farmers.

Calves aren’t usually given names at Grey Barn (this is reserved for cows that make it into the herd), and most are given away or sold at auction a couple weeks after their birth. But the fate of Little blue eyes has not been decided. There has been talk of holding a naming competition for him.

“We rarely hold onto male calves, but we have yet to figure out what we want to do, since this animal is somewhat special,” said Eric Glasgow, owner of Grey Barn Farm. “I don’t know if it’s anomalous enough that a university or something would be interested in the calf, so we’re going to reach out to some people and see if anybody knows of anybody who might want him.”

But for now, Little blue eyes is staying with his mom in the pasture, taking in the new world through his surprising eyes.