Lambing is an intense period in sheep farming with significant welfare implications for both ewes and lambs. Good management dramatically reduces mortality and suffering during this critical window.
Lambing is when farm management skill translates most directly into animal welfare outcomes. Farms with trained stockpeople, adequate shelter, written protocols for dystocia and mismothering, colostrum management, and appropriate stocking density see dramatically lower lamb mortality and ewe morbidity. The reverse is also true — understaffed or poorly managed lambing systems produce high rates of preventable suffering and death. Welfare certification schemes audit lambing management as a key indicator of overall farm welfare standards.