Lambing assistance requires both skill and restraint. Knowing when and how to intervene — and when not to — is critical for ewe and lamb welfare during the lambing period.
Lambing assistance welfare depends on the balance between necessary intervention and harmful premature interference. Over-intervention — assisting ewes still in first-stage labour, applying excessive traction, or failing to correct malpresentation before pulling — causes maternal injury and lamb death. Under-intervention — delaying when genuine dystocia is occurring — allows progressive exhaustion, fetal hypoxia, and uterine rupture. Training stockpeople to accurately assess lambing progress and identify when intervention is appropriate versus premature is the most welfare-impactful intervention available. Adequate lambing supervision, particularly at night when dystocia goes undetected until too late, prevents the welfare emergencies that accumulate in unsupervised flocks.