Sheep Lambing and Neonatal Care: Early Life Welfare

Lambing is a critical welfare period for sheep. Neonatal mortality, hypothermia, mismothering, and complications of difficult births represent significant welfare challenges managed through stockmanship and veterinary support.

Key Facts

UK lamb mortality before weaning averages approximately 15%, with most deaths occurring in the first 48 hours of life.
Hypothermia is the leading cause of neonatal lamb mortality, particularly in upland flocks in adverse weather.
Ewe-lamb bonding can be disrupted by difficult births, twin management, and indoor lambing conditions.
Dystocia (difficult birth) requiring intervention occurs in approximately 5-10% of UK lambings.
Good stockmanship during lambing — regular observation, prompt intervention, and appropriate housing — substantially reduces mortality.

Welfare Considerations

Lambing represents one of the most welfare-intensive periods in sheep farming. Lambs are vulnerable to hypothermia, starvation, infection, and predation in the days following birth. Ewes may reject lambs after difficult births or when producing triplets. The quality of stockmanship during lambing — time spent observing, skill in assisting difficult births, ability to manage adoption of rejected lambs — is the primary determinant of neonatal welfare outcomes. Under-resourced flocks with minimal supervision have substantially worse welfare outcomes than well-managed flocks with dedicated lambing staff.

What You Can Do

Support lambing welfare improvements through higher-welfare lamb product certification.
Advocate for lambing support resource standards as part of farm assurance schemes.
Learn about the role of colostrum in neonatal lamb survival and immune function.
Follow AHDB Beef and Lamb resources on improving lambing welfare outcomes.
Support veterinary training programs for rural communities improving lamb mortality management.