Sheep Lambing Welfare: Hypothermia, Mismothering and Intervention

The lambing period is the highest welfare risk period in sheep production. Understanding the causes of neonatal lamb mortality and best practice intervention helps reduce preventable deaths.

Key Facts

Neonatal mortality accounts for around 20% of all lamb deaths in UK sheep flocks
Hypothermia is the leading cause of lamb mortality - lambs must feed within 30 minutes of birth to survive
Triplet lambs are at highest risk as ewes can only successfully raise two lambs without supplementary feeding
Mismothering (ewes rejecting lambs) is more common in large flocks with crowded housing
Adoption of rejected lambs using alternative ewes or artificial rearing requires careful management
Colostrum intake in the first 6 hours is critical for immune function as lambs receive no immunity before birth
Well-designed lambing sheds with individual pens for ewe-lamb bonding significantly reduce mismothering rates

Welfare Considerations

Lamb welfare in the neonatal period is highly time-sensitive. A lamb that fails to stand and feed within the first hour is at increasing risk of hypothermia and death. Hypothermic lambs experience progressive weakness, reduced consciousness, and ultimately death from cold. Stockperson vigilance during lambing - identifying and warming chilled lambs, ensuring colostrum intake, and preventing mismothering - directly saves individual animal lives and reduces suffering. The welfare of lambing ewes is also significant: dystocia (difficult birth) causes severe pain and requires prompt, skilled intervention.

What You Can Do

Ensure ewes lambing outdoors have access to shelter from wind and rain to reduce hypothermia risk
Maintain a colostrum supply (frozen ewe or cow colostrum) to supplement lambs that cannot access ewe colostrum
Check ewes during lambing at intervals appropriate to their proximity to parturition
Attend a lambing welfare training course if you are involved in sheep production