Lambing is the most intensive period of the sheep farming year and one of the highest-risk periods for both ewe and lamb welfare. Good lambing management prevents suffering and saves lives; poor management creates welfare emergencies and economic losses.
Adequate preparation significantly reduces lambing problems. Ewes should be in target body condition score (2.5–3.0 for most breeds) at lambing — too thin predisposes to pregnancy toxaemia and poor colostrum production; too fat increases dystocia risk. Clostridial vaccination within the final six weeks of pregnancy provides passive immunity to lambs via colostrum. Trace element status — selenium, copper, iodine, vitamin E — should be assessed and supplemented where deficient. Housing inspection ensures clean, dry pens with adequate space and bedding.
Regular day and night observation during lambing is essential for timely intervention. Key signs requiring intervention include: ewe in active labour for more than 45–60 minutes without progress, visible malpresentation, ewe showing signs of distress without producing lambs, or lamb visible in birth canal for more than 15 minutes. Delay in intervention allows foetal death and increases the risk of uterine rupture, infection, and ewe death.
Internal examination and correction of malpresentation requires clean, lubricated technique to minimise infection risk. Common presentations requiring correction: head-only (legs back), single foreleg presentation, breach, and transverse lying. All farmers involved in lambing should have training in obstetric assistance. Post-assistance, ewes should receive antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication to prevent metritis and control pain. Severely traumatised ewes may require veterinary attention for retained placenta or uterine damage.
The first hour of life is critical for lamb survival. Priorities are: ensure the lamb's airways are clear, stimulate breathing if depressed (vigorous towelling, sternal positioning), ensure the ewe bonds with her lamb (allow licking, confine together), and ensure colostrum intake within the first 2 hours. Lambs that have not suckled within 2 hours should receive colostrum by bottle or stomach tube — adequate passive transfer of immunity prevents most early neonatal disease.
Hypothermia is the leading cause of lamb death. Lambs under 39°C rectal temperature need warming (warming box at 40°C) and glucose supplementation. Severely hypoglycaemic hypothermic lambs require intraperitoneal glucose injection before warming. Colostrum feeding after warming maintains energy supply.
Triplets, orphan lambs, or lambs from ewes that have died or rejected them require fostering or artificial rearing. Fostering techniques (skinning technique using dead lamb skin, confining ewe and foster lamb) work best within the first 24–48 hours when the ewe's bonding behaviour is still active. Artificial rearing requires frequent feeding (initially every 2–4 hours), appropriate milk replacer, and social housing (not isolation, which causes severe stress in a social species).
Watery mouth (E. coli septicaemia), joint ill (polyarthritis from umbilical infection), neonatal diarrhoea (Rotavirus, Cryptosporidium), and clostridial disease cause significant lamb mortality and welfare problems in the first weeks. Prevention through colostrum management, clean lambing environment, umbilical dipping (iodine), and clostridial vaccination dramatically reduces incidence.
← Back to Animal Welfare Hub