Colostrum Management and Lamb Welfare

Colostrum is essential for lamb survival, providing both nutrition and passive immunity, and colostrum management is a key welfare intervention in sheep flocks.

Key Facts

Lambs are born without maternal antibodies and depend entirely on colostrum for passive immunity
Lambs should receive 50 ml per kg body weight colostrum within the first six hours of life
Ewe colostrum quality varies with nutrition, age, and vaccination status
Colostrum banks from fresh, heat-treated, or frozen ewe colostrum save lambs whose dams have insufficient supply
Failure of passive transfer (FPT) causes high lamb mortality from infectious disease

Welfare Considerations

Failure of adequate colostrum intake is one of the most preventable causes of lamb mortality and disease. Lambs with FPT are highly vulnerable to E. coli septicaemia, joint ill, naval ill, and other infectious conditions that cause suffering and death. Cold lambs and those from difficult births are at highest risk of failing to suckle. Monitoring colostrum intake in the first hours of life through observing suckling or testing lamb immunoglobulin levels identifies at-risk lambs for supplementation. Maintaining ewes in appropriate body condition at lambing ensures adequate colostrum production. Colostrum banking allows supplementation of lambs from ewes with insufficient supply.

What You Can Do

Implement colostrum management protocols as a standard welfare measure in sheep flocks
Monitor all newborn lambs for adequate suckling in the first six hours after birth
Establish a colostrum bank from excess ewe colostrum at the start of lambing season
Support shepherd training that prioritizes colostrum management as a welfare cornerstone