Three-year-old Oliver springs into action to deliver lambs

Oliver, from Hurworth-on-Tees, in County Durham, has been busy helping dad Mark bring baby lambs into the world despite only being a tot himself.

The toddler assisted with his first birth this month – a small black Zwartble lamb born to his big sister Katie’s pet sheep, Matilda.

Dressed in flat cap, tractor gillet, and dinosaur wellies, Oliver is the very image of a stylish farmer (Image: Chris Barron)

“Ollie was brilliant – he did a great job holding down the mummy sheep and helping his dad pull out the lamb!” said his proud mum, Laura.

“Both Mark and I grew up on farms, so it’s nice that our kids are becoming the next generation of young farmers. Lambing’s their favourite time of year, and they spend any spare time they have helping out. They just roll up their sleeves up and get on with it.”

Proud mum Laura is overjoyed her children love farm life (Image: Chris Barron)

Having grown up on the family farm – The Meadows, in the village near Darlington – Oliver and seven-year-old Katie are showing that lambing comes naturally. In fact, they make it look like child's play.

Katie, who also started lambing at three, delivered Matilda last year – and now she’s delighted to see her beloved pet become a mum, with Oliver’s help.

Katie Walton was%excited to meet her pet sheep, Matilda's, baby (Image: Chris Barron)

“I’ve taught Oliver everything I know – like how to climb over the fence instead of opening the gate so the sheep don’t get out, and how to feed them properly,” said Katie.

“He’s picking it up well, but he needs to learn to finish a job before moving onto the next. He’ll be quite good when he gets to my age!”

The farm has welcomed around 200 new lambs this year, many of them helped along by Oliver and Katie – though the two young shepherds seem happy to leave any midnight labours to their Granny Liz and Grandad Geoff!

It's all in a day's work for this young shepherd! (Image: Chris Barron)

Read more from Peter Barron here:

• Meet the farmer signed up by an autism charity to create a new visitor attraction
• The spotlight operator 'sacked' for taking a shine to a dancer at the theatre
• Remembering 100 years of Darlington Operatic Society shows at the Hippodrome

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Oliver’s special daily job is to feed the bottle-fed lambs each morning before he leaves for nursery, and cap off each day by giving them their dinner.

With a head start like this, it’s no wonder that he’s set on being a farmer like his parents and grandparents.

“I’ll take over the farm one day when I’m old enough,” he said, confidently. “But that probably won’t be until I’m five!”