'Miracle' as sheep gives birth to quintuplets

The owner of a smallholding has been heralding a "miracle" after one of her sheep gave birth to quintuplets.

Maria Sasiain, from Leek, Staffordshire, said she was left "pretty shocked" when her sheep, June, had five babies earlier in May. Experts say the odds of it happening are around a one-in-a-million chance.

The shepherdess recalled the night of the lambs' births, which included her daughter repeatedly shouting to her "there's another one".

"As a shepherdess that's relatively inexperienced, two is a great number but having five, and to have them all alive, is a miracle and a lot of sleepless nights," she told BBC Midlands Today.

Sasiain, who treats her animals as pets, said she has had to bottle feed some of the lambs as their mother can only cope with feeding two at a time.

"Sometimes they suckle and don't swallow, so they spill it all [out]," she said.

"Until they get the two things going, it's touch-and-go keeping everyone fed, happy and to give her [June] a chance of coping."

Sasiain said she was hoping people would help her out by suggesting names beginning with 'n' for lambs.

"We may have a few sheep to name," she added.

Sasiain said she fell in love with the Valley Blacknose breed of sheep when she started six years ago and has seen her flock grow year-on-year ever since.

There could be up to 11 lambs in total this year, she added, as there were other ewes who were also expecting.

This would mean she would be looking after 23 sheep in total, along with her three goats, four goat kids and one adopted cat.

"I just love them," she said. "I've never been in contact with sheep before until I had these and I wouldn't go back, I'd just get more and more each time."

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