A “very rare” incidence of a young farmer’s sheep giving birth to six healthy lambs caught her off guard. Erin Fflur McNaught said that the arrival of the sextuplets was a “total surprise” since sheep typically give birth to one to three children.
After a rocky beginning for one, all of the lambs are healthy and thriving well, according to the 20-year-old from Meirionnydd. With a tummy full of milk, “they’re all up on their feet and all happy now,” she said. According to Ms. McNaught, the ewe’s prenatal ultrasound indicated that she would give birth to three lambs, but considering her size, it was possible that she gave birth to more.
“Six is very, very rare, but triplets are pretty common,” she said.
In his 70 years of farming, Ms. McNaught’s grandpa claimed to have never seen so many lambs delivered from the same sheep.
Aside from one lamb that was smaller than the others and had trouble standing, Ms. McNaught reported that the other lambs were doing well.
She replied, “We brought one lamb inside and placed it in front of the fire.” “But now that they’re enjoying the milk, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”
According to Ms. McNaught, the ewe was having trouble providing for all six of her babies, so she was assisting to feed them by giving them powdered milk in a bottle. She remarked, “They’re all happy now that they’re up on their feet, eating a belly full of milk, and they’re under the infrared lamp that keeps them warm.” “What is even more uncommon is that they are all still living. Six healthy lambs is a very rare occurrence.”
