Sheep Lambing Welfare: Challenges and Best Practice

Lambing is the most welfare-critical period in sheep farming. Good management practices significantly reduce mortality, mismothering, and suffering for both ewes and lambs.

Key Facts

Neonatal lamb mortality averages 10-15% on UK farms — starvation and hypothermia account for the majority of deaths.
Mismothering — ewes rejecting their lambs — is a leading cause of orphan lamb welfare problems.
Triplet births create significant welfare challenges: most ewes can only raise two lambs successfully.
Dystocia (difficult birth) causes pain, injury, and mortality for both ewe and lamb if not managed promptly.
Shelter at lambing time dramatically reduces hypothermia risk — outdoor lambing in cold weather without shelter is a welfare failure.
Colostrum intake in the first 6 hours is critical for lamb survival — failure to suckle is a welfare emergency.

Welfare Considerations

Lambing is a period of concentrated welfare risk that demands intensive stockmanship. Lambs born in cold, wet conditions without shelter can become hypothermic within hours; ewes experiencing difficult births suffer acute pain that requires rapid intervention. The welfare obligations are clear: adequate shelter, 24-hour observation during peak lambing, prompt intervention for dystocia, colostrum supplementation for lambs that fail to suckle, and careful management of triplets. High lamb mortality on farms is not inevitable — it is a welfare failure that responds well to management improvement. Skilled, attentive lambing management can halve neonatal mortality rates while significantly reducing suffering for ewes experiencing difficult births.

What You Can Do

If you keep sheep, provide adequate lambing shelter and maintain round-the-clock observation during peak periods.
Ensure all stock persons have appropriate training in dystocia management and neonatal lamb care.
Keep colostrum supplies (fresh, frozen, or commercial) available for lambs that fail to suckle from their mothers.
Support welfare certification schemes that include neonatal lamb mortality as a key performance indicator.