A hobby farmer in Mundijong had a bit of a surprise late last month when his Marino cross ewe gave birth to quadruplets on October 28.
The ewe is around seven years old and she has given birth three times before, and had a set of twins each time.
The ewe’s owner, Gordon Feast, received a bit of a shock when the sheep gave birth to four lambs, two boys and two girls.
Mr Feast said he didn’t know prior to their birth that she was carrying four lambs, which are all strikingly different in colour.
Mr Feast has been a hobby farmer for over 60 years and owns sheep to keep the grass down on his farm.
Twins and triplets are much more common than quadruplets, with sheep giving birth to four lambs described as quite rare.
According to one report, a ewe is likely to produce her largest litter of lambs when she is between three and six years old, putting this sheep out of the average once again.
A sheep’s average gestation period is around five months, but this may be shorter in some cases.
Pregnant ewes usually aren’t obvious until about six weeks before giving birth.
Whilst all four lambs drink from their mum, Mr Feast has been helping her by bottle feeding around five times a day to give her a rest.
