That was the grim scene facing a Mayfield farmer as he rounded up stock for weighing. A bolt of lightning is the suspected cause.
James McCormick at Manaton Farms said he thought: "What the hell?" when he saw the dead lambs on December 23.
When he saw the crack in the old man pine tree, which was on both sides, he realised what it must have been.
The sheep must have been sheltering under the tree from a thunderstorm two days prior.
The state of the sheep suggested they had been killed instantly by a lightning strike to the tree, which would have "cooked" them.
"They smelt like they had been dead for a week."
McCormick sent a photo of the dead sheep under the cracked tree to the NZ Farming Facebook page on the same day.
It had more than 1800 reactions and over 200 comments, including some from farmers who have had similar experiences.
One farmer claimed to have lost nine sheep from lightning the previous week, while at least two others said they had lost groups of sheep in lightning strikes in previous years.
NZ Farming posted the photo a second time, issuing a safety warning and advising people to never shelter under trees in a thunderstorm.
