Lambing season represents one of the most intensive welfare management periods in sheep farming, with mortality in newborn lambs and mismothering events requiring skilled intervention to prevent preventable suffering.
Sheep lambing welfare involves the concentrated challenge of managing a vulnerable life stage for thousands of animals simultaneously in many production systems. The neonatal period is when lamb welfare is most dependent on active management: recognition of rejected lambs, assistance with difficult births, colostrum provision for weak individuals, and hypothermia prevention. Farms with good lambing management show substantially lower mortality and suffering than those where lambs are left entirely without supervision. The welfare investment in lambing management is also an economic investment, as lamb survival directly affects the profitability of sheep operations — creating alignment between welfare and business incentives.