A NEWNHAM farmer is claiming one of her sheep has given birth to an odd-looking lamb after mating with a deer.
Emma Grindle of Bullo Farm says her sheep gave birth to twins, one which looked like a normal white lamb and the other which she believes looks like a baby deer.
Mrs Grindle said: "We lamb about 600 sheep and we have about 15 deer who live over the top bank near the farm.
"One of the deer kept hassling the ewes after they had lambed and a neighbour rang up to tell us it was servicing our sheep!"
The 'lamb' has wiry hair like a deer, is brown in colour, has really long legs and a white and brown stripe around its rear end.
"This is a first time for us!" said Mrs Grindle, who is baffled by the discovery.
The odd family has been housed in the barn and both twins are still feeding from their mother.
Sundean vet Beth Keyte was asked whether it would be possible for a deer and a sheep to mate.
She said: "No – it is impossible, totally impossible. The genetics and the DNA are totally different."