Knock-kneed, new-born babes are baaing and bleating at the Parry Bay Sheep Farm in Metchosin.
The spring sun is shining down on the large sheep-pen where expectant mums, including those in the process of giving birth, are fed.
It’s been a busy spring for shepherds Lorraine and John Buchanan. For the first time in 40 years of raising sheep, two of their flock have given birth to sextuplets.
“We could call that many a litter,” John laughed Tuesday. “I wouldn’t try to look for six, but it’s kind of cool when it happens.”
“It’s very unusual to have two sets of six,” Lorraine.
The first sextuplets were born March 4.
“I just got up in the morning and they were all over the barn,” said John.
Two days later, the next group was born.
“I hung out with her because I knew they were little guys. And we lose a few to the membranes if they get stuck over their face. The smaller they are, the more likely it is to happen because they don’t break through,” said John. “So when I saw the first one was small, I thought I better stick around.”
John and Lorraine stuck around for five, then went to the fields to put out the other sheep that had lambed.
“When we came back, there was a sixth, the white one,” said Lorraine.
The multiple births are a result of crossing the prolific Finnish Landrace breed with a dairy sheep called East Friesian sheep, to get a few more lambs, explained John. The mothers have lots of milk so they can handle the babies better.
The first sextuplets have already been split up. One lamb went to a mother who lost her baby. Two others were put in the bottle pen.
The second sextuplets are still with their mother. But because she only has enough milk for three, three are being given the bottle.
Matthew Anderson also witnessed the second group of sextuplets being born.
“We thought she had four lambs and she had five. We walked away thinking five was a victory and six lambs were there when we came back,” said Anderson.
Minutes earlier, he had helped an ewe give birth to two breach babies and was ready to step in to help deliver her third baby.
The Buchanans expect 700 lambs will be born at their farm this spring. So far, 120 ewes have lambed 250 babies.
It will continue to be a busy spring.
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