At children's farm d' Oude Smelterij in Torhout (West Flanders) they are celebrating their extremely productive ram. A ram is an adult male sheep. No fewer than 4 triplets have been born at the West Flemish petting zoo during the past few days. They all belong to the ‘Flemish Sheep’ breed, which is known to be a very fertile breed.
Torhout children’s farm experiences ‘baby boom’ thanks to super productive ram
Colin Clapson
Published:
Sheep of the ‘Flemish Sheep’ breed are large long-legged sheep, usually with white wool that completely covers their body, head and legs. They are also particularly fertile. ‘This is a high-yielding breed,’ explains animal keeper Frauke Hoorelbeke. ‘The breed is known for multiple gestations yielding several lambs in each pregnancy. But the fact that all the ewes now had triplets is pretty exceptional. Indeed, we are experiencing a real baby boom here at the minute!’
‘Last year we even had quadruplets. This year this hasn't happened yet. But it could still happen. Five ewes are yet to lamb. Our ram is the proud father of all the lambs. We only put one single ram with all our ewes. A total of 12 sheep are lambing as a result of the endeavours of the single ram.’