It’s a baa-ing feast for Leanne and John McAlpine’s farm near York, where a rare five lamb ‘flock’ has taken up residence in their home paddock. The family’s five children were overjoyed when a quintuplet was born unexpectedly on Tuesday last week, with the baby lambs surviving thus far despite the odds. While twin lambs are common and triplets are not uncommon, having five lambs born alive and surviving is said to be a “one in a million” possibility. Their specially bred Dorper ram, who managed to sneak into the ewe flock a little earlier than expected and has produced roughly 70% twin progeny, has certainly earned credit. Ms McAlpine remarked, “I’ve never seen quintuplet lambs before.”
“I looked it up on the internet and discovered a couple articles claiming it was a one in a million probability – so that’s incredible. “We’ve been keeping an eye on them to make sure they’re okay, and she’s feeding them, so we’ll see what happens.” Every year, the pair breeds lambs from roughly 150 ewes on their 56-hectare farm in St Ronan. The flock is 90% Dorpers, with the exception of the quins’ mother, who is one of a few Merino ewes on the ranch. “Ms McApline explained, “I have some old pet Merinos and that is where she came from.” “’We need to get rid of the Merinos,’ John says, and I answer, ‘no, you don’t.’ “I couldn’t get rid of my pets.”
Ms McAlpine said the huge number of multiple births this year was unexpected because they didn’t check their pregnant ewes. The couple’s children, aged 6 to 13, are particularly fond of the quins due to the overabundance of cuteness. Ms McAlpine said the ram’s eagerness to get over the fence meant lambing had occurred a couple of months earlier than they had anticipated, but that the quantity of offspring he had produced had won them over. “This is the first time we’ve used a different ram, and all the sheep are having twins – it’s ridiculous,” Ms McAlpine said. “Then, when we got to five, amazing.”
Follow The Indian Sun on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
It's a baa-ing feast for Leanne & John McAlpine's farm near York, where a rare 5 lamb 'flock' has taken up residence in their home paddock. Having 5 lambs born alive & surviving is said to be a "one in a million" possibility. 🐑 #TheIndianSun #Agribizhttps://t.co/X4qhtEWxUo
— The Indian Sun (@The_Indian_Sun) April 3, 2022
Donate To The Indian Sun
Dear Reader,The Indian Sun is an independent organisation committed to community journalism. We have, through the years, been able to reach a wide audience especially with the growth of social media, where we also have a strong presence. With platforms such as YouTube videos, we have been able to engage in different forms of storytelling. However, the past few years, like many media organisations around the world, it has not been an easy path. We have a greater challenge. We believe community journalism is very important for a multicultural country like Australia. We’re not able to do everything, but we aim for some of the most interesting stories and journalism of quality. We call upon readers like you to support us and make any contribution. Do make a DONATION NOW so we can continue with the volume and quality journalism that we are able to practice.
Thank you for your support.
Best wishes,
Team The Indian Sun
