Lamb born with five legs in UK as farmer stunned by ‘one in a million’ birth on 2/2/22

Five-legged lambs are extremely rare - it is thought to only happen to one lamb in a million

The team at a beloved Northumberland visitor attraction have welcomed an unusual new addition (NCJ Media)

A one in a million lamb has been born in Northumberland - with an extra leg.

Lambing season is well underway at Whitehouse Farm near Morpeth, but one of the new arrivals surprised part-owner Heather Hogarty.

Five-legged lambs are extremely rare and Heather says it is only the second time she has seen it in her 25 years at Whitehouse Farm.

Heather said: “You could see it as soon as it was born, it’s on the front left side so it’s just another leg that comes out of the shoulder.

“It is unusual, but animals having something a bit different does happen - we get many animals born with disabilities, but you don’t see them as often as sadly they get put down.

Part-owner Heather says it is only the second time she has seen it in her 25 years at Whitehouse Farm (NCJ Media)

“We think as long as it is going to live a normal live, we will just keep it. We’re just keeping an eye on this one at the minute, so it might have to have the leg removed.”

In a twist of fate, the lamb - who is yet to be given a name - was born in a set of triplets on February 22 - or 2/2/22.

Whitehouse Farm Centre is a 40-acre family-run venture which opened to the public and school groups in 1997.

The five-legged lamb was born almost a decade after Quinto, another Whitehouse Farm lamb born with five legs.

Quinto’s extra limb was in the centre of her body, and eventually had to be removed - but she went on to live a long life and even gave birth to her own lambs.

Heather added: “We had one nine years ago but that leg was right in the centre of her stomach while this one comes out the shoulder and doesn’t reach the ground.

“When the new lamb was born I was thinking it was Quinto reincarnated.

She was born on April Fools Day and people thought we had stitched it on as a joke.

“They are the only two odd things we’ve had here, and we’ve been open to the public for 25 years now.”