Sheep Welfare at Lambing: Science 2025

Overview: Lambing — the birth of lambs — is the highest-welfare-risk period in sheep production. Approximately 15-20% of lamb mortality occurs at or around birth in intensive systems. Scientific research has identified key interventions that simultaneously improve ewe welfare, lamb survival, and farm productivity.

Ewe Welfare During Pregnancy and Birth

Pregnant ewes require adequate nutrition, shelter from extreme weather, and space to express natural nesting behaviors near parturition. Body condition scoring throughout pregnancy predicts lambing difficulties and lamb survival. Thin ewes (BCS below 2.5) show increased metabolic disease risk; overfat ewes face lambing difficulties from reduced pelvic space.

Pre-lambing behavior changes indicate birth is imminent: ewes separate from the flock, become restless, paw the ground, and seek isolation. Providing individual lambing pens or adequate space in group housing facilitates normal maternal-neonate bonding. Disruption of this bonding period through overcrowding significantly increases mismothering.

Key Welfare Facts: Ewe isolation behavior pre-lambing normal and adaptive; mismothering increases with overcrowding; BCS management throughout pregnancy critical; painful procedures require analgesia

Lamb Welfare at Birth

Newborn lambs are highly vulnerable in the first 24 hours. Welfare concerns include hypothermia (a leading cause of lamb mortality, particularly in hill and outdoor systems), colostrum deprivation (impairs immunity), and injury from difficult births. Prompt intervention in dystocia (difficult birth) reduces both ewe and lamb suffering but requires skill to perform without additional trauma.

Lamb behaviors within hours of birth — standing, suckling, vocalizing — are welfare indicators. Lambs that fail to stand within 30-60 minutes require investigation. The ewe-lamb bond develops through olfactory imprinting in the first hours; disruption through early separation or handling significantly impairs bonding.

Pain Management at Lambing

Several routine procedures at lambing inflict pain without standard analgesia in most production systems:

Research Finding: Local anaesthesia for castration and tail docking in lambs significantly reduces pain behaviors and stress hormones. Cost of meloxicam (NSAID) for a lamb is minimal relative to welfare benefit. Yet uptake remains low globally. (Molony & Kent 1993; Marchant-Forde et al.)

Housing and Outdoor Lambing

Lambing systems range from fully housed (indoor lambing) to outdoor hill lambing. Indoor systems allow better supervision and intervention but increase disease transmission risks (especially pneumonia). Outdoor systems face weather vulnerability but allow more natural behavior expression. Evidence supports a balance approach: outdoor housing with access to sheltered areas and sufficient space to enable normal bonding behaviors.

Neonatal Lamb Welfare Interventions