Farm Animal Welfare

Sheep Neonatal Mortality Prevention

Neonatal lamb mortality is a major welfare concern with most deaths occurring in the first 48 hours of life from hypothermia, starvation, and mismothering.

Key Facts

Pre-weaning lamb mortality averages 4-8% in UK flocks but can reach 20% in poor conditions
Hypothermia is the leading cause of neonatal lamb death in UK conditions
Lambs from multiple births are at highest risk due to smaller size and competition for milk
Lambing pen design, colostrum supplementation, and mothering-on time affect survival
Fostering and artificial rearing protocols can save lambs that would otherwise die

Welfare Considerations

Neonatal lamb mortality represents both a welfare failure for dying lambs and a preventable loss for farmers. Proactive management during lambing including close supervision, colostrum supplementation, and hypothermia treatment saves individual lambs and reduces the aggregate welfare burden of this critical period.

What You Can Do

Implement intensive lambing supervision during peak lambing period
Maintain a supply of stored colostrum or colostrum replacer for supplementing weak lambs
Learn to recognise and treat hypothermia in newborn lambs as a basic welfare skill