The neonatal periodāthe first 24-72 hours of a lamb's lifeāis when most pre-weaning deaths occur and when welfare-positive interventions have the greatest impact. Good lambing management combines surveillance, rapid identification of vulnerable lambs, and targeted intervention to prevent deaths and reduce suffering.
Starvation/mismothering/exposure (SME) syndrome accounts for the majority of neonatal lamb deaths. Risk factors include: large litters (triplets and above), long difficult births causing exhaustion in lambs and ewes, cold wet weather, failure of colostrum intake within the first 2-6 hours, ewe rejection of lambs (particularly second or third lambs in multiple litters), and first-time ewes with poor maternal behavior. Identifying high-risk lambs early enables protective intervention.
Hypothermic lambs require warming before feedingāglucose injection or oral dextrose if unconscious, followed by warming box (maximum 40Ā°C) until rectal temperature exceeds 37Ā°C. Feeding a cold hypothermic lamb risks bloat and death. Correct sequence of intervention prevents iatrogenic harm.
Adequate colostrum provision within 6 hours of birth is the single most important survival intervention. Ewes with inadequate colostrum production (thin, old, or high-yielding ewes) may require colostrum supplementation from frozen banks or commercial colostrum replacers. Stomach tubing unthrifty lambs is a routine and welfare-positive intervention.
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