Farmer shocked after flock had FOUR sets of rare triplet lambs

A farmer was shocked after her flock had FOUR sets of rare triplet lambs within days.

Usually ewes have one or two lambs and triplets are rare - but having four sets born in one flock in a week is virtually unheard of.

But that's what happened at Roves Farm, a visitor centre and working farm near Swindon, Wiltshire.

Pippa Bolter, who manages the flock of native Poll Dorsets, said the arrivals earlier this month were "fantastic".

Pippa said: ""Triplets are not uncommon, but we normally have one or two.

"This year we've had four in the last few days!

"This breed is really laid-back and friendly and their niche is that they lamb earlier than other breeds."

Roves Farm has two breeds on-site - the Poll Dorsets, which are lambed in January and the Continentals which are lambed in April.

The latest births mean the farms lamb shed is extra busy, with over 70 lambs delivered in one month.

Poll Dorsets are the only native sheep which can breed all year round.

Pippa said: "We scan them at 90 days to count the lambs so we make sure we’re feeding them the right amount, because obviously a ewe with a single lamb won’t need as much to eat as one with three.

"If a ewe has more than two lambs, we adopt extra lambs onto a ewe that’s only having one lamb, because ewes have only got two teats, so they can only feed two lambs at once.

"The only way she’ll accept the lamb is if we give them a bath in her lambing fluid so it smells like her. It’s not perfect, but it usually works.

"Then we put her real lamb in beside her and she usually doesn’t register that she hasn’t given birth for the second time.

"After a few days drinking her milk, it will smell like her."

The last few lambs are expected to arrive next week.