AS BLENHEIM Palace mark the arrival of 3,000 lambs, the Woodstock attraction has announced it is expecting a record number of twins this year.

The 1,550 ewes at the palace, which are lambing now, were scanned in February, indicating that there will be 253 singles, 1,129 sets of twins and 144 sets of triplets.

Visitors from across Oxfordshire and further afield now have the chance to see the lambs gambolling about in Capability Brown Parkland on special lamb buggy tours until June.

The scans, which showed an increase in twins expected by the Blenheim Palace ewes and a reduction in triplets, is good news for shepherds and the mums-to-be.

Ewes who give birth to triplets usually have one of their three offspring taken away and given to another ewe so that they can cope with feeding.

Head shepherd Charles Gerring said: “The estimated yield of lambs from our flock this spring is really pleasing. The increase in twins is fantastic, and always what we hope to achieve.

"With the reduction of triplets we won’t have as much worry with fostered lambs being rejected and ewes struggling to look after more than they can cope with.”

Visitors can learn about the palace's rich agricultural history and discover more about the estate farm on the lamb buggy tours, which will be running through the park to the lambing fields set in the historic surrounds of the Grand Avenue.

The sheep breeds which graze Blenheim Palace parkland are the Scotch mule and Romney.

The estate team has put in place a careful health management programme for the ewes, which has led to impressive lambing results over the past two years.

After the lambing season, the total number of sheep grazing Blenheim Palace rises to over 4,500.

Estate Manager Roy Cox said: “We have planted new herbal grass leys which have a mix of chicory, sainfoin and lots of other things that the sheep like. This has meant we could take the lambs off their mums earlier to give them a break.

"Also the weather was quite mild this winter, particularly at tupping - which has meant we’ve had plenty of grass throughout the year.”

Visitors are asked to refrain from approaching or touching the sheep and lambs while on the tour.

The tours will run daily until June 3. Admission is £3.50 for adults and £2.50 for children.