That was the surprise this young Wiltipoll ewe got when she gave birth to four lambs last week.

Owner and breeder Judy Allen said she had never heard of a ewe baring quadruplets before, but it was a sign of a good season.

"I've never heard of it and they don't usually survive, but these are doing well," she said.

"At first two were very weak and she didn't take to them, but we supplemented them and they're stronger now."

With this ewe being one of the last in the stud to give birth, Mrs Allen said lambing rates were currently at 200 per cent.

"We usually get around 150 per cent, but it's been great this year, a really good start to the season," Mrs Allen said.

"All the other breeders are also reporting really good starts too, they are reporting more triplets."

Asked what he thought was the reason for the great numbers, Trevor Allen put it down to the recent rains which have seen the Riverina move out of drought for the first time in 10 years.

And this is not the only good news for the sheep industry in the region.

Lambs sales recently smashed national sale records when they reached the elusive $200 mark at Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre two weeks ago, resetting the national bar and eclipsing the previous best of $193 a head set at Ballarat and Forbes in June.

Responses to the Meat and Livestock Australia's tri-annual lamb survey also indicated an increase of ewe flock sizes in NSW and nearly 60 per cent of producers said their nett returns in 2009-10 had increased in the previous year.

"The lamb survey results re-affirm what many agents and processors are starting to see on the ground - producers are making attempts to rebuild their flocks and shift into prime lamb productions thanks to improved pasture conditions and positive price signals," MLA's lamb and sheepmeat research and development manager Alex Ball said.