The majority of Portland sheep have
single lambs, indeed some flocks only ever have
single lambs.
However we usually have at least one
set of twins each year. We have found that with
plentiful grass, which we have at Beer Mill Farm,
Portlands are easily capable of rearing twins. Some
of our very best sheep have been twins. One pair,
Bramble Sebco and Bramble Flojo were probably our
most successful Show Sheep so far, winning a number
of Supreme Interbreed Show Championships and many
Best of Breed and Class Wins between them. The
highest priced sheep we have ever sold was a twin.
When lambing, a big single lamb can often be more
difficult to get out than twins, who are usually
smaller when born.
If the correct grazing is available we
have found that there is absolutely no difference in
size at the end of the day between twins and singles.
It is often said that Portlands vary rarely twin, but
there is a view that this reflects the amount of
grazing available to the flock. Twins are almost
always smaller than singles when born and can be
easier to lamb.
Having said all the above if you are
lambing Portlands, you would normally expect just the
one lamb.
