Sheep Welfare: Metabolic Diseases Around Lambing

Pregnancy toxaemia, hypocalcaemia, and hypomagnesaemia are serious metabolic diseases around lambing that cause significant welfare suffering in ewes.

Key Facts

Pregnancy toxaemia (twin lamb disease) occurs in late gestation when energy demands exceed intake
Hypocalcaemia (lambing sickness) causes weakness and recumbency within hours
Hypomagnesaemia (grass staggers) causes tetany and death if untreated
All three conditions are largely preventable with nutrition and mineral management
Late-gestation ultrasound scanning allows targeted nutritional management of ewes carrying multiples

Welfare Considerations

Ewes experiencing metabolic disease suffer from weakness, inability to stand, and depression. Pregnancy toxaemia in untreated ewes leads to coma and death within days. Hypocalcaemia causes recumbency and inability to reach food and water without assistance. Pain and distress are significant. Early recognition and treatment are welfare-critical. Prevention through informed nutritional management, including body condition scoring and supplementation, eliminates most metabolic disease welfare costs.

What You Can Do

Advocate for pre-lambing nutritional planning on sheep farms
Support sheep farming training in metabolic disease recognition
Encourage scanning to identify ewe litter size for targeted feeding
Back extension services that train farmers in metabolic disease prevention
Choose lamb from assured farms with animal health standards