Farm Animal Welfare

Sheep Colostrum Quality and Neonatal Welfare

Colostrum quality is as important as quantity for neonatal lamb survival, and management practices including ewe nutrition affect the immunoglobulin content of colostrum produced.

Key Facts

Lamb immunoglobulin absorption capacity closes within 18-24 hours of birth
Colostrum immunoglobulin content varies widely between ewes and with ewe nutrition
Colostrum can be pooled and stored frozen for supplementing weak or orphan lambs
Ewes with poor body condition at lambing produce lower quality colostrum
Commercial colostrum replacers are available but inferior to ewe colostrum

Welfare Considerations

Neonatal lamb survival is fundamentally dependent on receiving adequate, high-quality colostrum within hours of birth. Lambs born to malnourished ewes may receive colostrum with insufficient immunoglobulins, leaving them vulnerable despite appearing to feed well. Ewe nutrition management throughout pregnancy is the foundation of good colostrum quality and neonatal welfare.

What You Can Do

Advocate for ewe nutrition monitoring as a welfare standard in sheep codes of practice
Support research into optimal late pregnancy nutrition for ewe colostrum quality
Choose lamb from farms with documented colostrum management protocols