A sheep on the Swinton Estate in North Yorkshire has given birth to five lambs, a rare event described by farmers as a 'one in a million' chance, according to reports. The ewe, named Quincy, who is six years old, gave birth on Saturday, according to multiple reports. Landowner Mark Cunliffe-Lister, who owns 20 sheep, was present during the birth.
He described the event as an 'amazing surprise' and something he had never seen before, according to BBC News - England. Cunliffe-Lister said Quincy looked exhausted by the experience. He added that he was busy attending to another sheep that had twins and kept checking on Quincy, only to find another lamb had appeared each time.
Cunliffe-Lister noted that if he were a proper sheep farmer, he would have had the ewe scanned and would have known what to expect, but for him, it was an incredible surprise, as triplets were the largest litter he had previously seen. The lambs are all fit and healthy but required some intervention to feed them, according to reports. The specific nature of the intervention has not been detailed.
Most sheep give birth to one or two lambs, with triplets being fairly common. Four lambs is rare, and five lambs is considered extremely unusual, with farmers estimating the odds at one in a million. The long-term survival outlook for quintuplet lambs is not known, and the names and sexes of the five lambs have not been disclosed.
The ewe Quincy's recovery after the birth has also not been reported. Cunliffe-Lister's children, Julia, aged eight, and Loui, aged five, were involved in the care of the lambs. According to reports, they entered a pen among bleating, fluffy sheep, and Julia caught one of the lambs.
The family's reaction has been one of delight at the rare occurrence. It is unclear if there are any other known cases of sheep giving birth to five lambs in the UK.