Lamb hypothermia is the primary cause of neonatal mortality on sheep farms, with inadequate shelter, difficult births, and malnutrition combining to kill millions of lambs in the first days of life.
Hypothermic lambs experience progressive neurological and metabolic deterioration that leads to coma and death if untreated. The distress of hypothermia — shivering, weakness, inability to stand or suckle — represents significant suffering before death or recovery. The welfare cost is compounded by the preventability of most hypothermia deaths: warming boxes, adequate shelter, and prompt colostrum assistance save the majority of affected lambs at low cost. High lamb mortality reflects management gaps rather than inevitable loss.