FOUR?!?!?
What’s better than two healthy lambs being born on Pingree Farms? How about four! Early in the morning on Sunday, March, 6, 2016 one of the Pingree Farms Columbia ewes, with help from Jimmy Mac Green, gave birth to the first set of quadruplet lambs born on Pingree Farms. These four Columbia and Suffolk mixed breed cuties are strong and healthy and mom is doing great, too, after a little trip to MSU for some R&R after the birth! It is unusual to have a set of live quadruplets so we are pretty excited. Statistically there is about a one-in-five hundred chance of a ewe delivering quadruplets and those odds double when all four lambs survive. It is most common for ewes to give birth to twins so this event is worth shouting about!
This new mom has her “hands” full these days taking care of all four lambs and needs some assistance so the Pingree Farms staff along with a couple of partner groups are stepping up to the plate. Both the Educational Achievement Authority (eighth grade students from Bethune, Nolan, and Burns) and Pingree 4-H Club members are assisting in general care and in making sure that every lamb gets enough to eat by supplementing their diet with milk replacer fed to them by hand with bottles.
Thanks to MSU for all their help in caring for Martha. Read more about that adventure to the MSU Veterinary Medical Center here.