An Aberdeenshire family was delighted to welcome quadruplet lambs into the world this week.
Joy and Andrew Davies have had the farm at Whitecairns, near Newmachar, about 10 years ago.
They have had their hands full over the past week with 20 pedigree sheep giving birth – and another five still to welcome their lambs.
Following a scan, they were told one of their Charollais sheep was expecting triplets but a surprise fourth lamb also made an appearance on Monday morning.
A ‘fairly unusual’ arrival
The first-time mother gave birth to her four lambs by 6.30am after lambing through what had been the coldest night of the year by that point.
Mrs Davies said: “We could see she was lambing but we weren’t sure for how long overnight. My husband, Andrew, went to help her as he wanted to make sure the lambs were ok and hadn’t been struggling all night.
“He’d been out watching her at midnight and she looked fairly comfortable when I went out at half-five and saw she was lambing. He helped deliver the three and then when he was putting her in the pen, the fourth one fell out.
“We had four, and even five lambs once years ago, but it is fairly unusual.”
Excitement for whole family
Eight-year-old Ryan Davies, Ailsa, 10, and Lyla, 13, also get stuck in to look after the lambs during lambing season and were very excited to meet the four new additions.
Mrs Davies added: “They’re in a cosy corner of the shed now with a with a heat lamp, which also keeps them from wandering around the pen.
“Sheep can raise two lambs by themselves so two of them will be fostered on to another mother who had lost her own lambs.”
