Tucked away in their own corner of the barn, four lambs slept soundly near each other under the careful watch of their mother.

"It's hard being center stage all the time," said Holly Glomski, farm manager at the MSU Sheep Teaching and Research Center.

The four lambs are one of two sets of live quadruplet lambs born at the center this month. Glomski said this year has been the first year for any quadruplet births at the center in more than six years.

The lambs have received a lot of attention. Glomski said the barn has seemed packed at times, as the births have drawn more than 1,000 visitors to the center, which is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

"They're adorable, they're fun to watch and just so tiny and cute," said Perry resident Gwen Haviland, 40, who came to the center Monday afternoon to see the lambs with her daughter.

The first set of quadruplets was born April 9, and the second set was born April 18 and are a mix between Suffolk and Dorset breeds of sheep.

Glomski said she was surprised to have two sets of quadruplets born this month.

"The ewes were getting very big, and visually we suspected triplets or more," she said. "I suspected a second set of quadruplets, but I was surprised we had two sets that lived, especially in our own flock."

This year, six sheep at the center were pregnant with quadruplets, although in the other four instances, some of the lambs didn't survive.

"It's very unusual to have all live quadruplets, and it's quite a risk to the mother," Glomski said. "Only about one in every 500 births are quadruplets, and to get live quads doubles that probability."

She said about 250 lambs were born at the center between January and April, with 12 sets of triplets in addition to the quadruplets.

Sheep usually birth one to two lambs at a time, and the lambs are about 10 pounds each, so having more than that can affect the mother's health and might cause difficulties during labor, she said.

If quadruplet lambs are born alive, she said they are usually varied in size and have low birth weights.

"These quadruplets have been extremely healthy," she said. "They were more like two sets of twins than a set of quadruplets."

Glomski added that the mother also might have difficulty producing enough milk to feed the lambs, so the quadruplets at the center are supplemented with bottle feeding and goat milk.

She said the center uses goat milk because it has a similar composition to sheep milk and the goats are easier to manage than cows.

The center has two goats that provide additional milk to lambs and occasionally act as surrogate mothers when sheep are unable to take care of all of their offspring.

Glomski said MSU students working at the center were taught how to deliver lambs if the mother has labor difficulties and assisted in the delivery of both sets of quadruplets.

Animal science senior Jordan Hewitt said she has delivered dozens of lambs at the center.

Hewitt delivered the second set of quadruplets and assisted the mother when one of the lambs was breech birthed, or delivered with its hind legs first.

"I thought we had three — then I reached in and was surprised to find more feet," Hewitt said. "It's pretty special. We've had sets of triplets, but it was great to be able to deliver quadruplets."