Evidence-based management of sheep in the final weeks before slaughter
The finishing period — when lambs or older sheep are fed intensively to reach target slaughter weight — creates specific welfare challenges. High-energy concentrate feeding increases nutritional disease risk; indoor housing limits natural behavior; social group changes create hierarchy disruption. Understanding and managing finishing period welfare is important given the volume of sheep passing through these systems globally.
Nutritional diseases of intensively fed sheep are largely preventable through appropriate diet transition, adequate roughage provision, and vaccination (pulpy kidney). These diseases cause significant suffering and represent welfare failures in finishing systems that prioritize growth rate over health management.
Indoor finishing during winter provides protection from cold stress but restricts natural behavior. Key welfare considerations: adequate space (minimum 0.75 m² per finishing lamb), dry bedding for lying comfort, sufficient trough space to prevent competition, access to roughage (hay) to maintain rumen health and provide behavioral enrichment. Social stability (avoiding repeated regrouping) reduces aggression-related stress and injury during the finishing period.