The first hours of a lamb's life are critical for welfare and survival, with hypothermia, starvation and mismothering causing major lamb mortality across UK flocks.
Hypothermic lambs experience progressive metabolic failure, lethargy and unconsciousness before death from cold exposure. Starving lambs — those that fail to suckle adequately — weaken rapidly and become too weak to seek the teat within hours. Mismothered lambs are denied colostrum and warmth simultaneously. These welfare crises are largely preventable through attentive shepherding, colostrum supplementation protocols and warmth provision in cold weather lambing systems.