'Rare' quintuplet lamb birth awes Saanich community ahead of Mother's Day
Birth of five lambs shock and excite vineyard owner on Vancouver Island
While dogs and cats are known to have large litters, sheep not so much. So when Ashley Rice returned to Prohibition Vineyards in Saanich to find five lambs with her ewe Abagail, she was shocked.
Rice had just finished picking up her children from school and running errands when she decided to check on Abagail in the pasture, knowing she was pregnant and about to be giving birth soon.
"We knew Abagail was our last sheep. We were waiting for her to have her babies, everyone else had their babies like a month ago," said Rice.
After driving to the pasture, her son Jackon said, "look, three lambs!"
Her daughter Scarlett followed up with, "look, four lambs!"
When Rice went in for a head count, she said she was astonished to find five lambs. At first, the kids didn't believe her when she told them how many there were, she told CBC's All Point West in laughter.
With her husband and farmhand away, Rice reached out to her neighbour, Sidney, for help. The pair scooped up the lambs and took them to the lamb pen for safety from ravens and eagles.
Rice said the lambs are healthy and in good shape, but this litter has been smaller in size compared to previous ones. She said an attachment has grown and the lambs are being monitored regularly to support their health.
"All of them are super healthy, no birth defects. They are all starting to jump around and the mom is just being super, putting up with lots of shenanigans in the pen," she said.
In another sheep quintuplet birth story two years ago in Salmon Arm, B.C., a sheep researcher at the University of Guelph, Cathy Bauman, said that sheep only have two teats, so caring for more than two lambs at a time can be difficult for the mothers.
Rice said extra effort is being put into caring for the lambs, given their special birth story. One lamb was on the bottle for a few days but has since rejected it and is starting to gain weight, so things are hopeful and looking good for the litter, she said.
Bauman said sheep quintuplets are quite rare. She keeps a herd of sheep herself and has witnessed many births over the years. Five lambs from an ewe would be a surprise, said Bauman.
Rice said that her children have been especially excited to see the lambs outside in the pen each day, and the sheep community in Saanich has been regularly checking in on the babies, rooting for their success and offering the family advice.
The lambs will be ready to go out with the rest of the pasture this coming week, said Rice.
"Everyone is appreciating the sweet, happy story and we appreciate it too — it draws light on farming and the sheep," she said, noting not a lot people farm the animals on Vancouver Island.
With files from All Points West and Jenifer Norwell