Farm amazed after 'giant' 10kg lambs born

Mark Mayhew said when you compare the 10kg lambs to the other newborns you can "really tell the difference"

"Giant" lambs that weighed twice the size of an average newborn have been born at an estate.

Shepherdess Hannah Murrell delivered half a dozen lambs weighing 10kg (22lb) in her first lambing season on the Gawdy Hall Estate in Harleston, Norfolk.

Size was not the only thing to be on the up this year, and the farm said it had its biggest lambing season to date with 250 births.

Mark Hayhew, estate manager, said: "You hope for healthy lambs around the 3-5kg, so when you see a healthy enormous one being born alive and well, which is nearly double that size, it's amazing. If not eye watering, for the ewe."

The estate is home to a flock of sheep made up of Llanwenog sheep, Norfolk Horn ewes, Lleyn ewes and pedigree rams

The estate's flock included Llanwenog sheep and Norfolk Horn ewes - which are both on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's amber list - alongside Lleyn ewes and associated pedigree rams.

It said the size of a newborn lamb can vary depending on the breed, although they typically weigh up to 5kg, with some larger lambs weighing more than 6kg.

Ms Murrell joined the estate in October to take on her first role as a shepherdess.

Ahead of the season she said it was going to be the most stressful time to own sheep, the most enjoyable and sometimes the saddest.

"It brings the mothering instinct out in you," she said.

Hannah Murrell joined the estate in October for her first lambing season

Mr Mayhew said everybody "loves" the estate's newest arrivals.

"This year has been our biggest ever lambing season following a restructure and we were very surprised when quite a few very large lambs were born," he added.

"Everyone loves them. We've had lots of people walking past our fields and taking pictures and asking us about our giant lambs. When you see them next to the other ordinary-sized lambs, you can really tell the difference."

He said next year's lambing season should see even more newborns as the flock numbers have increased to more than 400 breeding ewes.