Rejected White Post Farm lambs adopted by goat

Geraldine the goat lets the lambs feed from her

Farm staff said the goat and twin lambs have bonded amazingly well

The lambs climb on top of Geraldine as they would with a mother ewe

Two lambs rejected by their mother have been adopted by a female goat.

The birth mother of the twin Manx sheep would not feed them when they were born two and a half weeks ago.

But Geraldine the golden Guernsey goat treats the Manx sheep as her own offspring - even letting them drink her milk.

The unusual family-of-three live at White Post Farm in Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, where staff said they are a strange sight.

'Relaxed goat'

Anthony Moore, one of the farm managers, said: "It took a little while but it's amazing how well they have bonded.

"We were bottle feeding them but we were very keen for them to have a mum so thought we would give Geraldine a go at being a sheep.

"She's such a relaxed goat we thought we would give it a try."

The twins, which have not been named yet, are a girl and a boy and were introduced to Geraldine 12 days ago, for a few hours at a time to begin.

Now the lambs even climb on top of Geraldine, as they would with a mother ewe.

"It looks very strange seeing a little lamb on a golden Guernsey goat," said Mr Moore.

Geraldine gave birth to a male kid earlier this year but he is now being used for educational demonstrations.