Caramel lamb a rare surprise
A lamb born with un-ewe-sual colouring has delighted its owner in Palmerston North.
Faye Hutchinson said one of her multicoloured ewes gave birth to twins this spring, a black lamb and a caramel-coloured one with white spots. She says the lighter lamb, dubbed Maamalade, is a rare colour.
‘‘I had one a similar colour last year, but the colour faded quickly.’’
Hutchinson, who owns the Country Lane Homestay in Aokautere, has kept a flock of sheep for about 20 years, but said she had only seen caramelcoloured lambs in the past couple of years.
The pair are Dorper sheep, a South African breed.
Though the mother has kept feeding the black twin Maamite, she has shunned Maamalade, so Hutchinson has been handfeeding her for the past month.
‘‘For a couple of days she fed both, but then she bunted and bunted her [Maamalade], and wouldn’t feed her.’’
Maamalade has stayed healthy from the hand-feeding and was a similar size to Maamite.