AT first glance these adorable animals look to be related, nuzzling up to each other just days after birth.

But look again and you will see that the dimension-defying creatures which plopped out onto hay at Challow Hill Farm are not even the same species.

The newborn additions to the farm, near Wantage, are almost the same size despite one being a lamb and the other being a calf.

Lin Blackwell, who manages the family-run farm with her daughter Lucy Blackwell, said: "It struck me that the calf was extremely small and the lamb was extremely large. The calf is a small little chap but is perfectly healthy."

The pedigree dexter calf, a small breed of cattle, was born on March 31.

Just one day later on April 1 the lamb was born, so hefty that Mrs Blackwell had to help coax it out as her mum was in labour.

The 60-year-old said: "I could see she was struggling and could feel the size of the lamb from its foot. I just gently eased as she pushed. The lamb was so large if she had taken long to give birth it could have meant the lamb didn't make it."

She said the lamb, a pedigree zwartble breed, was surprisingly big as her mum is of normal size.

She added: "A lot of out sheep have been having twins and triplets but all her energy went into this one. It's certainly grown already, you go out in the field and can see it straight away."

Mrs Blackwell, who said she had not measured the animals, grew up on the farm and is the fourth generation of her family to run it.

The lamb and calf, who have not been named, will join 150 cattle, 130 hens, 70 ewes and six pigs which also call the East Challow farm home.