Counting sheep in the lambing season

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/20/south-uist-counting-sheep-lambing-season

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The zwartbles down the road are an attractive lot, although at a quick glance it's hard to tell one from the other because each has the white facial blaze, white socks and white tipped tail that their pedigree demands. Their fleeces are dark brown to black and so dense one longs to bury one's fingers in the thick layer of wool.

Although robust, they are slender of build, with narrow, rather intelligent-looking faces and a friendly personality. At the moment the ewes, some of whom are first-time mothers, are accompanied by newly arrived lambs. Easy lambers, they have happily produced twins and triplets … and one huge surprise.

With his newborn lambs safely settled in individual pens with their mothers, their owner went on to his next job. A short while later, a visit by another member of the family found more lambs in one pen than there should have been. Hasty phone calls were made to confirm just how many lambs should be with each ewe; somehow one had managed to get out of its own pen, abandoning mother and siblings, and got into an adjoining pen. But a quick check made it apparent that those who should have had two lambs still had two, and those who should have had three still had three … all, that is, except for one mother of triplets who, despite a thorough examination after birthing, had gone on, to everyone's utter astonishment, and produced a fourth after everyone had left.

Now, although most of the lambs are out and about, to ensure that all of them will be fed properly (for ewes have only two teats and suckling lambs are not noted for their manners), two of the quads and some of the triplets are being fed at their owner's home. With so many mouths to feed, it's hurray for the invention of semi-automatic warm-milk feeding devices, which can replace the use of hand held bottles meaning more time for owners and more natural feeding patterns for lambs.