Farm Animal Welfare

Sheep Twin Triplet Ewe Late Pregnancy Welfare

Ewes carrying twins and triplets face significantly higher metabolic demands in late pregnancy. Targeted management prevents pregnancy toxaemia and improves welfare.

Key Facts

Triplet-bearing ewes require 1.4 times the energy of single-bearing ewes
Pregnancy toxaemia risk peaks in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy
Scanning to identify multiple-bearing ewes enables targeted feeding
Energy dense supplements prevent hypoglycaemia in late pregnancy
Ewes in poor body condition at scanning are highest risk

Welfare Considerations

Ewes with pregnancy toxaemia experience profound weakness, recumbency, and neurological signs as blood glucose falls. Without treatment, the condition is fatal. Preventing pregnancy toxaemia through targeted feeding of scanning-identified twin and triplet ewes protects both maternal welfare and lamb survival.

What You Can Do

Implement pregnancy scanning in all breeding flocks
Provide targeted supplementary feeding to multiple-bearing ewes
Monitor twin and triplet ewes for early signs of toxaemia
Work with a sheep vet on late pregnancy nutrition protocols