Vermont Ewe Gives Birth to Six Lambs

UNDERHILL, Vt. A ewe named Teemu at Clover Bee Farm in Underhill, Vermont, gave birth to six lambs earlier this month, surprising owners Anne O'Connor and her husband, Gunnar, who had anticipated only twins.

The sextuplets, all healthy along with their mother, mark a rare occurrence for the farm. Teemu, partially of the Finnsheep breed, previously delivered quadruplets. A recent veterinary checkup suggested just two lambs this time, but O'Connor grew suspicious as the ewe grew unusually large and went into labor early. "I was a little bit suspicious, just given how big she was and that she was going a little earlier, that she might have more than two," O'Connor said. "Six is great, but it's definitely plenty."

The births' rarity varies by estimate. O'Connor places the odds at about one in 1,000, while some agricultural sources suggest one in a million or rarer. The Vermont Sheep and Goat Association, contacted by O'Connor, reported only one other local shepherd with a ewe producing sextuplets.

Kristen Judkins of Gilead Fiber Farm, whose own ewe had sextuplets three years in a row, offered guidance via email. "They do take longer to reach full body weight, but most do just fine,"...