Dorset's Farmer Palmer's welcomes rare lambs after ewe jumps pen

Farm director Sandra Palmer-Snellin said staff were very excited to now have "Shalais" sheep

Two rare-breed lambs have been born at a petting farm after a ewe jumped into a ram enclosure.

Farmer Palmer's in Poole, Dorset, discovered the "happy surprise" after one of the Shetland ewes got into the Valais ram enclosure.

Director Sandra Palmer-Snellin explained the breeds do not typically mix and were not in a breeding programme.

She added the farm staff were very excited to now have "Shalais" sheep.

The farm said the lambs had been a "happy surprise"

The farm runs breeding programmes each year but the Shalais lambs were an unscheduled arrival

Farmer Palmer's used to be a working dairy farm but 25 years ago the family decided to change and become a petting zoo attraction.

The farm runs breeding programmes each year but the Shalais lambs were an unscheduled arrival.

Mrs Palmer-Snellin explained: "We've got a number of different types of sheep and goats.

"The Valais are quite impressive sheep, with black faces and a lovely thick fleece.

"The Shetland sheep are kept in a separate pen but one of the females must have been full of the joys of spring and quite determined."

The ewe, which does not have a name, jumped the fence and because she is smaller than the Valais ram - named Hank - who fathered the lambs, she was not spotted by staff straight away.

The Shetland ewe mated with a Valais ram named Hank

Mrs Palmer-Snefflin continued: "You only need a couple of hours for the deed to be done, so we only realised when a couple of weeks ago she gave birth to the cutest little lambs.

"They're so sweet, they look a bit like calves because of the breed mix.

She added: "We didn't have any plans to put the parents together but nature found its own way and we've been very pleasantly surprised by how lovely the lambs are. The ewe is a very proud mummy."

The farm is now holding a competition to name the new arrivals and their mother.