Winter nutrition management is critical for sheep welfare, particularly for pregnant ewes approaching lambing. Nutritional deficits during late pregnancy cause metabolic disease, poor lamb birth weight, and increased perinatal mortality.
Winter nutritional management failures have cascading welfare consequences: metabolic disease in ewes, poor lamb viability, and increased perinatal mortality. These outcomes reflect planning failures rather than unavoidable challenges. Body condition monitoring, forage quality assessment, and targeted supplementation are effective, established practices. Farms that invest in winter nutrition management consistently achieve better welfare outcomes and lower veterinary costs, demonstrating that welfare and economics align in this area.