A Norfolk sheep owner was stunned after one of her ewes gave birth to two healthy lambs - an astonishing eight days after the arrival of their sibling.
Retired cheesemaker Jane Murray, of Willow Farm Dairy in Deopham, near Wymondham, is mystified by the delay between births from the same mother.
"I’ve had sheep for 37 years and never heard of anything so remarkable as an eight-day gap between lambs being born," she said.
"The ewe gave birth to a healthy single lamb on April 4 and she was absolutely fine - but I was really surprised she only had a single lamb because she was so large and three weeks earlier she threatened to prolapse, which is usually a sign of multiple births.
"But she cleansed and went out to grass with the other ewes and lambs, so as far as I was concerned she was done.
"Then on April 12 when I went out to check the lambs and ewes, she had two further newborn lambs which were very much alive and kicking. You can imagine my surprise.
"How she did that I don't know - it does not seem possible. It defies all logic as to how sheep breed, and there is no doubt it was the same ewe."
The farm's vet was also perplexed by the eight-day gap between births and has contacted the Sheep Veterinary Society in an effort to find a medical explanation.
Ms Murray previously ran a sheep dairying venture and made ewes’ milk cheese including Norfolk White Lady until she sold the business 18 months ago.
But she still keeps a small flock of 12 ewes, which have produced 16 lambs so far this spring.
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