Shropshire Farming Talk: Improving lamb survival

 The financial success of the enterprise depends on it. 

Nationally about 15 per cent of lambs born are lost and most of these losses occur around lambing time.  

Losses come from abortion and stillbirths, exposure and starvation, infectious diseases, congenital defects and predators. 

Many lambs may survive with better planning, good preparation, well-organised lambing routines and facilities, more staff and better communication. 

This is all very well but can prove difficult when time, labour and money to reinvest is limited. However, farmers following a well-thought-out lambing routine, which is communicated to all involved have lower lamb losses. 

Assuming ewes are vaccinated, well fed, in good body condition, and have met basic housing/grazing requirements, there are still several things to help improve survival rates. 

Labour and Staff Training 

Aim for 250 ewes per person over the main lambing period, more labour may be required for synchronised flocks. 

For larger flocks, this will enable a night lamber to be available during the busiest period. Ensure staff are competent in general sheep stockmanship, proficient in lambing techniques and fully briefed on routines. 

Assistance at Lambing 

Most ewes will lamb without difficulty. Careful, regular and quiet observation is important to detect problems. 

Leave ewes alone for no more than an hour between observations, however, this depends on the size of the flock and if housed. 

Once a ewe has lambed it is important to ensure that the lamb is in fact its own, particularly when lambing indoors.  

Mismothering can happen with other ewes close to lambing pinching lambs. After a ewe has lambed it is common practice to place it in an individual pen to “mother up”.

Housing and Environment

Lambing pens should be dry, well-bedded on a well-drained site with easy access to the main flock of lambing ewes. 

Lambing pens should be 2m x 1m minimum, clean, disinfected and provided with new bedding between each occupation. 

Adding hydrated lime under the bedding can help reduce infections. Water and forage should be provided ad-lib, whilst continuing to feed concentrate twice a day.

Colostrum Management

Colostrum is vital for newborn lambs providing immunity to disease, a concentrated source of energy, hormones, and laxative along with vitamins and minerals.

The lamb must receive colostrum within six hours of life, with a minimum intake of 50ml per kilo liveweight, so a 4kg lamb will need 200ml on the first feed with a total intake of 800ml in 24 hours. 

Allowing the lamb to suck from the udder is an important part of the maternal bonding process. 

If colostrum quality is poor; less than 22 per cent on the brix scale then lambs should be given extra colostrum. 

Colostrum from other ewes in the same flock is ideal. Set up a colostrum bank with ewes that have plenty of high-quality colostrum. This can be frozen in quantities of 50ml and thawed when required.

Time spent in the lambing pen

Ewes form a selective bond with their lambs within two hours of birth which is based entirely on smell. 

This rapidly develops to include other senses. 

First-time lambers tend not to have this ability immediately and this may take up to six hours after lambing. 

by Paul Mardell, NWF Technical Development Manager