Sheep Welfare During Lambing: Managing a Critical and High-Risk Period

The lambing period is the most welfare-intensive time in the sheep farming calendar, with high rates of lamb mortality, difficult births, hypothermia, and inadequate colostrum intake creating significant welfare challenges for ewes and their offspring.

Key Facts

Lamb mortality during the first 24 hours of life accounts for the majority of losses in many sheep flocks
Dystocia (difficult birth) occurs in 3-8% of lambings and requires prompt human assistance to prevent lamb and ewe death
Hypothermia is the most common cause of lamb death in the first days of life, particularly in cold or wet conditions
Mismothering — ewes rejecting or failing to bond with their lambs — is a major welfare problem in high-density lambing systems
Adequate colostrum intake within the first 6 hours of life is critical for lamb survival and immunity
Pain during parturition is real and significant — evidence supports use of NSAIDs in ewes with difficult births
Prolific breeds like Finn crosses may produce triplets and quads that require careful management to ensure all lambs receive adequate nutrition

Welfare Considerations

Lambing represents a genuine welfare bottleneck in sheep production. The suffering associated with dystocia, hypothermia, and abandonment in poorly managed systems can be severe and affects large numbers of animals simultaneously during a compressed seasonal period. Well-managed lambing systems with adequate staffing, shelter, colostrum supplementation protocols, and skilled stockperson intervention can dramatically reduce both mortality and suffering. The welfare obligations extend to ewes — the physical toll of repeated pregnancies, difficult births, and lactation is substantial, and ewes with chronic problems should be culled humanely rather than forced through further reproductive cycles. Good lambing welfare is about skilled, attentive stockpersonship more than any other single factor.

What You Can Do

Support farmers who invest in adequate lambing facilities, staffing levels, and welfare training for stockpeople
Choose lamb products from farms with independently audited welfare standards that include lambing management protocols
Advocate for mandatory pain relief protocols for ewes with dystocia and invasive procedures during lambing
Support lamb welfare research including better hypothermia prevention and early detection technologies
Reduce lamb consumption or choose certified higher welfare products to reduce demand pressure on intensive lambing systems
Report concerns about sheep welfare during lambing to your national animal welfare authority if you observe serious problems