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Rare quintuplet lambs born at Swinton Estate near Masham

Wednesday, 22 April 2026 07:21

Quincy and her five lambs at the Swinton Estate. (Photo: Mark Cunliffe-Lister)

A sheep has given birth to five lambs at the Swinton Estate in what's been described as a "one in a million" occurrence.

The six-year-old ewe, named Quincy, delivered the quintuplets on Saturday, leaving those at the Masham estate stunned.

While multiple births in sheep are not uncommon, most ewes give birth to one or two lambs, with triplets seen more occasionally.

Births of four lambs are considered rare, and five are widely regarded as a “one in a million” occurrence.

Landowner Mark Cunliffe-Lister, who has more than 30 years of lambing experience and manages a flock of around 20 sheep, said he had not witnessed anything similar before.

He said:

“Normally we might have the odd triplets, but generally it’s twins or singles. I was keeping an eye on her and thought she had two, which was fine.

“Then there was a third, and I went back in and came out again and found four. I was thinking, gosh, I’ve never seen that happen.

“Then suddenly she had a fifth one. We really weren’t expecting that to happen at all.

“I’ve worked in lambing when I was younger and seen triplets, but this is the most I’ve ever seen.”

All five lambs were born safely, although additional care was required following the birth.

As a ewe would typically struggle to feed five offspring, three of the lambs were moved to another local farm to be bottle-fed, while two remained with their mother.

Despite the challenges associated with such a large litter, the estate reports that the ewe and all five lambs are doing well and developing as expected.

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