Sheep Lambing and Neonatal Welfare

The lambing period is both the most welfare-critical and most labor-intensive period in sheep farming, with proactive management preventing neonatal mortality.

Key Facts

Neonatal lamb mortality is approximately 10-15% in UK flocks - one of the highest in livestock
Hypothermia, starvation, and mismothering are the leading causes of preventable lamb death
Colostrum within 6 hours and warmth in the first 24 hours are the most critical welfare interventions
Lambing shelters protect against cold and wet - even poor weather can kill newborns within hours
Mismothered lambs can often be successfully grafted onto ewes who have lost lambs with appropriate techniques
Neonatal resuscitation including colostrum stomach tubing can save lambs that would otherwise die

Welfare Considerations

Newborn lambs are highly vulnerable to hypothermia and starvation in the first 24-48 hours of life. The welfare opportunity at lambing is enormous - a shepherd skilled in neonatal intervention can prevent large numbers of deaths that would otherwise cause suffering. The labor intensity of proactive lambing management reflects the welfare importance of this period. Farm systems that invest in appropriate shelter, staffing ratios, and shepherd training achieve dramatically lower neonatal mortality rates.

What You Can Do

Provide lambing shelter adequate for weather extremes in your region
Ensure 24-hour supervision during lambing - problems develop rapidly in neonates
Learn neonatal resuscitation including colostrum tube feeding and warming techniques
Keep colostrum stores from early-lambing ewes for lambs that fail to nurse
Develop mismothering and graft management skills before lambing season
Monitor neonatal mortality rates annually - high rates indicate preventable welfare failures