Shuswap sheep had quintuplets on Easter weekend
Brittny and Scott Syme run a sheep farm in the Shuswap called Idaview Farms where they raise beef cows, a couple of goats and chickens, and 100 ewes.
The commercial flock of sheep brought in from Ontario a couple of years ago is lambing and to the couple’s shock, one sheep gave birth to five lambs the morning of April 8.
“We got up to check the sheep and she’d already given birth to three so we got her into a pen,” Brittny said. “We came back 10 minutes later and a fourth was out and she was giving birth to a fifth. It’s a one in a million chance for this to happen and all to survive. It was incredible.”
The five babies are healthy but tiny, and are mostly sleeping and eating. They’re so tiny the sheep is able to feed them all, but the Symes have milk replacer on hand.
“We’re going to have to help her out,” Brittny said. “Sheep only have two teats, triplets is even a lot for a sheep to feed.”
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The most she’s seen a lamb give birth to in the past is four, and thought it was super rare. She posted a photo of the sheep and five babies to social media and “got a lot of reaction and shock from everyone.” She doesn’t name her sheep but is considering giving the rare group of five names.
“Maybe they’ll become special little stars on the farm,” she said.
Brittny and Scott raise sheep for meat on Scott’s family farm in Salmon Arm that has been in the family for several generations and are currently changing the name from Grazing Hill Farms to Idaview Farms.
Go here to find more information on Idaview Farms.
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