Sheep delivers triplets with different fathers at Market Rasen farm

A sheep has given birth to triplet lambs with different fathers at a farm park in Lincolnshire.

Nathan Brickwood, from Rand Farm Park, near Wragby, said when they were born it was clear the lambs were a different breed to their mother.

Staff believe it happened when the ewes were briefly in a field with all the rams while fence repairs were carried out.

"Obviously she took full advantage of them or [the rams] did," he said.

Rand Farm Park believe one of the lambs was sired by a Jacob breed ram, while the other two have a Herdwick for a dad.

The ewe would normally be bred with a fellow pedigree Dorset but he was clearly not the father, Mr Brickwood said.

"The first one popped out and was brown and white and Dorsets are not brown.

"The second two were also not white and they came from our other ram, we have a Herdwick out there with his flock of ewes and he is the dad to two of them."

He described it as a "bit of a surprise".

Mr Brickwood said the ewe had only been in with the other rams for a couple of days, but that was all it took.

Veterinary surgeon Molly McKay said multiple births were not uncommon with sheep.

"They want to ensure they have the greatest chance of lambs so they multiple ovulate so it is quite normal for sheep to have two."

The fact the lambs have different paternity is also not unusual, it is just not often noticed as most farms only have sheep from one breed.

It is known as Heteropaternal superfecundation (HS), which occurs when two or more eggs are fertilised by two or more males during the same reproductive cycle.

"The research shows that about 30% of twins and about 50% of triplets are sired from more than one dad," Ms McKay added.

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