SOME farmers in Malmesbury couldn’t believe their eyes when one of their sheep produced triplets.

After finding one of his soay ewes had given birth to twins, Phillip Neal, of Abbey View Farm, brought her in with her two new lambs for shelter.

To his shock the ewe, a breed that is currently on the endangered list in the UK, gave birth to a third lamb, an incredibly rare feat.

Phillip said: “We go up every morning to check on the lambs and saw she’d had two up the field.

“We always bring them in when they lamb, it’s the only time you can catch them.

“After being in for half an hour she produced another one. It’s the second time in 15 years it’s happened.”

The sheep originate from the Outer Hebrides and are renowned for their toughness.

“They’re very hardy,” explained Phillip. “You don’t even have to sheer them, it just falls off or birds peck them bare for their nests.

“Some of them walk around with bare sides as a result, they tolerate the birds.

“We got them because they eat the rubbish other animals leave behind, like dandelions.”