Outdoor Lambing Welfare: Challenges and Best Practice

Outdoor lambing presents distinct welfare challenges from hypothermia, mismothering, and predation that require intensive shepherding to address.

Key Facts

Spring lambing in the UK typically coincides with unpredictable cold, wet weather
Hypothermia is the primary cause of neonatal lamb mortality in outdoor systems
Twin and triplet lambs are particularly vulnerable as ewes may only accept one lamb
Outdoor systems require high shepherding intensity with regular checking during lambing
Predation of newborn lambs by foxes and crows causes welfare and production losses

Welfare Considerations

Newborn lambs face acute welfare risks in outdoor environments that require intensive management to address. Hypothermia from cold, wet conditions causes rapid deterioration and death if not treated within hours. Lambs separated from their mothers or rejected at birth face starvation if not found quickly. Mismothering of triplets and twins means some lambs may receive no colostrum unless managed actively. The welfare of lambs found alive but hypothermic, requiring tube feeding and warming, depends entirely on the promptness and skill of the shepherd. The higher mortality rates in outdoor compared to indoor lambing systems reflect genuine welfare costs of reduced monitoring capacity and weather exposure.

What You Can Do

Support farmers implementing intensive shepherding during lambing and investing in adequate staffing
Understand that lamb welfare in outdoor systems depends heavily on available shepherd resources
Ask lamb producers about their shepherding ratios and mortality rates as welfare indicators
Support agricultural welfare organisations that provide farmer training in lamb welfare