The lambing period is the most critical and welfare-intensive time in sheep farming, requiring attentive management to protect both ewes and newborn lambs.
The lambing period concentrates welfare events in a compressed timeframe requiring vigilance and skill. Newborn lambs are highly vulnerable to hypothermia in cold, wet conditions and can die within hours if not warmed and fed colostrum. Ewes who reject their lambs - a real phenomenon especially in maiden ewes or after difficult deliveries - leave lambs without nutrition and maternal bonding. Difficult deliveries that are not assisted promptly result in prolonged straining that exhausts the ewe and may cause the lamb to die from oxygen deprivation. Lamb marking procedures including castration and tail docking cause acute pain that is preventable with analgesia. The welfare of the lambing period depends entirely on the quality of stockmanship - attentive, skilled shepherding that recognizes problems early and intervenes appropriately.