In pictures: springtime surprises of quintuplet lambs and triplet calves
A suckler farmer in Wexford has welcomed triplet calves to his farm while a farmer in Sligo has had quintuplet lambs. Odile Evans and David Wilson report.
This Simmental cow scanned for twins but produced triplet Charolais Simmental cross calves. \ Philip Doyle
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Damian Henry welcomed five new lambs to his farm in Coolaney, Sligo on 8 February. His Cheviot crossbred ewe gave birth to quintuplets which he said are all doing well. The ewe was bred to a Suffolk ram.
The lambs are getting a bottle twice or three times a day. Damian estimates that the lightest lamb was 3.5kg while the heaviest was 5kg.
Quintuplets born in Sligo. \ Damian Henry
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“Every year this ewe has had twins up to now, she has more than paid for herself,” Damian told the Irish Farmers Journal. “It only took her 45 minutes to lamb from the first one to the fifth.”
Triplets
Meanwhile triplet calves were born on Mick Doyle’s farm outside Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. Mick’s triplets (two heifers, one bull) were born on Saturday 16 February to a Simmental cross cow and a Charolais bull.
Micheál Doyle,Siobhán Sinnott, Mike Doyle and Rory Higgan with the triplet calves born on Mike Doyle's farm in Coolharbour, Co. Wexford. \ Philip Doyle
“The calves are doing very well with the heaviest being a bull born at around 40kg. I had been expecting twins so I had been feeding the cow that bit extra. There was no trouble with calving, the cow actually calved the first two by herself!”
If that wasn’t enough, Mick is also in the middle of lambing with quadruplet lambs arriving in the last week to a Belclare cross ewe.
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Damian Henry welcomed five new lambs to his farm in Coolaney, Sligo on 8 February. His Cheviot crossbred ewe gave birth to quintuplets which he said are all doing well. The ewe was bred to a Suffolk ram.
The lambs are getting a bottle twice or three times a day. Damian estimates that the lightest lamb was 3.5kg while the heaviest was 5kg.
Quintuplets born in Sligo. \ Damian Henry
“Every year this ewe has had twins up to now, she has more than paid for herself,” Damian told the Irish Farmers Journal. “It only took her 45 minutes to lamb from the first one to the fifth.”
Triplets
Meanwhile triplet calves were born on Mick Doyle’s farm outside Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. Mick’s triplets (two heifers, one bull) were born on Saturday 16 February to a Simmental cross cow and a Charolais bull.
Micheál Doyle,Siobhán Sinnott, Mike Doyle and Rory Higgan with the triplet calves born on Mike Doyle's farm in Coolharbour, Co. Wexford. \ Philip Doyle
“The calves are doing very well with the heaviest being a bull born at around 40kg. I had been expecting twins so I had been feeding the cow that bit extra. There was no trouble with calving, the cow actually calved the first two by herself!”
If that wasn’t enough, Mick is also in the middle of lambing with quadruplet lambs arriving in the last week to a Belclare cross ewe.
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