Sheep Neonatal Lamb Welfare: The First 24 Hours

The first 24 hours of a lamb's life are the highest risk period for mortality and welfare failure, requiring attentive stockmanship and rapid intervention for at-risk individuals.

Key Facts

Neonatal mortality accounts for the largest single source of lamb loss in sheep farming, typically 10-20% of live births
Hypothermia, starvation, and mismothering are the three most common welfare-significant causes of neonatal death
Colostrum intake within the first 2-6 hours of life is critical for both welfare and immune protection
Twin and triplet lambs are at significantly higher risk of hypothermia and starvation than single lambs

Welfare Considerations

Neonatal lambs face acute welfare risks in their first hours of life. Hypothermia develops rapidly in cold, wet conditions — lambs unable to thermoregulate effectively require immediate intervention including warming and assisted feeding. Starvation from poor milk let-down or competition with siblings causes progressive weakness and distress. Mismothering in large lambing groups leaves individual lambs without the maternal care essential for survival. Attentive lambing supervision with the capacity for prompt intervention is the most effective welfare measure. Farmers who can distinguish stages of hypothermia and provide appropriate treatment save both welfare and production losses.

What You Can Do

Ensure 24-hour lambing supervision at peak lambing for high-risk ewes
Stock warming boxes, colostrum replacer, and stomach tubes as standard lambing equipment
Learn to recognise and treat all three stages of lamb hypothermia
Implement ewe-lamb bonding protocols that reduce mismothering in group lambing systems