[poppy2012]

Well well, thought id post to see how common this is ...Betty one of our eldest ewes lambed 5 last week, not all survived 1 didnt make it past the first 5 min and eggy only lasted 2 days, so now shes left with 3.....but is this a commoon occurance?? It was a rather suprising afternoon of events and our flock is yeilding 200%   this year...must be the grass! For my first year of lambing im a happy sheep owner!!

[woollyval]

Bet she is a Lleyn or cross.....I know someone locally who has had this happen!

[shep53]

IN 50YRS with sheep maybe 40,000 lambings never had quins 

[SallyintNorth]

Around here there are ludicrous numbers of triplets this year - one neighbour scanned 20% triplets in his Swales     and when we counted up a few weeks back we were running at 1/3 of our girls were having triplets - many of them shearlings.  We're still having quite a few triplets, but not at that rate now, thankfully.  We don't flush, the opposite really, so really don't want or expect many triplets at all. 

Another neighbour has four sets of quads scanned and one set of quintuplets.  He starts soon, the pet lamb carers are primed and waiting... 

I'm not sure why there is such a high incidence of multiple births this year, except maybe that very warm spell we had in Oct / Nov when our tups were out - the sun made the grass grow and that flushed the girls, maybe.

I had a few sets of quads in the mules on the moorland farm - but no, I've never seen quintuplets in the flesh, either.

Yes, triplets aside, this weather is making for a lambing from heaven ... so far...

[Herdygirl]

MIne are due Tuesday  .....snow is forecast 

[SteveHants]

I've got quads and quins scanned in my Wilts x Lleyn ewes, I put it down to the ram having some Barbados Black.Belly in hom somewhere. I'll wait and see how many are born, but will try and leave them with three.

[Old Shep]

so who is biologically responsible for multiple births the tup or the ewe?  or is it a mixture of both?

[Sharnoak]

I'm wondering what to expect once my little Finn ram gets to work-the record for lambs from one ewe in Finn sheep is 9 live lambs...and my boy was one of 4 

[doganjo]

So is lamb going to be cheap as chips in the shops in a few months then?

[SallyintNorth]

So is lamb going to be cheap as chips in the shops in a few months then?

I do hope not 

[landroverroy]

 I had quins one year to a commercial mule cross. They all lived although the ewe had no milk, so I bought a goat to feed them.
 In answer to the question about whether ram or ewe is responsible for mutiple births -it is the ewe. That is why you flush them at tupping time to encourage multiple ovulation. Also giving high magnesium minerals at tupping  increases ovulation. But I only did this once as got too many triplets.

[OhLaLa]

So is lamb going to be cheap as chips in the shops in a few months then?

In view of the Schmallenberg Virus, why would anyone actually think that any of this season's lamb is going to be 'cheap'. And not just in the monetary terms of losses; but all the worry, heartache and suffering connected with this terrible virus. My thoughts go out to all who are going through this - animal and human alike.

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Back on topic, multiple births here too. Our none grazed fields got an early cut of hay and then a good second cut, so we think all the sheep in their paddocks were thoroughly flushed by nature.