Lamb production for meat has specific welfare challenges distinct from adult sheep welfare. Understanding welfare at different life stages reveals the particular vulnerabilities of neonatal and juvenile sheep.
Lamb welfare illustrates the welfare complexity of neonatal periods in farm animals: the highest mortality rates occur in the first days of life, when the welfare stakes are acute, and when management decisions matter most. Hypothermia — preventable with appropriate shelter and colostrum intake monitoring — is a leading welfare-loss event. The maternal bond established in the first hours of life critically affects both lamb survival and ewe welfare; management that disrupts bonding causes welfare harm at both ends. Castration and tail docking without anesthesia cause pain that is accepted as routine in most producing countries, despite effective pain management being available. Welfare certification schemes that address these neonatal management practices can significantly improve aggregate lamb welfare.