A five-legged lamb has been born on a north-east farm leaving it’s owner baffled.
In his 60-years of lambing sheep, farmer George Wilson said he has never seen anything like it.
But when his son Craig helped deliver the incredibly rare five-legged Texel lamb on his Huntly farm, the experienced farmer had to do a double take.
Despite the bizarre extra limb “swinging like a pendulum” between the lamb’s front legs, the animal is perfectly healthy and normal.
“I thought he was winding me up”
Born on Wednesday, and affectionately named Jake the Peg, the lamb has bemused Mr Wilson and his family.
“It got up and went running about!”
He explained: “My son was lambing it and he could feel the three feet and he thought it was obviously the second lamb.
“But he said to me: ‘There’s something wrong here.’
“I thought he was winding me up”
“Out this wee lamb came and I thought that it would probably die or something, but nope up it got and went running about!”
He added: “It’s like a hanging pendulum and it’s not doing anything but it is a fully formed leg.”
Mr Wilson, 76, describe seeing bizarre mutations being born in the farm in the past, including lambs being born with “double” testicles, but never an extra leg.
He said: “I started lambing sheep when I was about 16 and I’ve been working with sheep most of my life but I’ve never seen anything like this.
“I’ve seen bits of things, some born with no bottoms or maybe double testicles, but never an extra leg.
“It’s just one of these things that happens now and again. We used to see things like that in the vet lab when I was at college, two headed calves and the like.
“But this one wasn’t born ill or dead, it’s up and running around like normal.
“We actually have a tough job catching it. I think that extra leg gives it more speed!”
An extra leg of lamb?
After seeking advice from the vet, Mr Wilson said the new-born will be able to live a normal life with the added appendage.
He continued: “I had a word with the vet and he explained the front legs of a lamb are attached to something similar to a big long plate in the chest.
“So it seems a reasonable option that in the future the leg will be able to come away or be amputated.”
However, despite the incredibly rare odds of the animal being born with the anomaly, Mr Wilson hopes it will fetch a higher price in the sales later this year.
Laughing, he said: “We were saying that maybe when we put it to the market later this year, will get more money for it? An extra leg of lamb!”
