21 March 2025

Every lamb saved is an extra lamb that is available for sale

Infections and starvation/exposure are the biggest factors causing lamb mortality on Irish sheep farms.

The following tips should be considered on all farms to help to reduce lamb mortality:

Clean out and disinfect lambing pens between ewes;
Dip navels of newborn lambs with iodine or similar as soon as is practical after lambing and again after four to six hours;
Ensure all lambs receive enough colostrum as soon as possible after birth; target 50ml per kg birthweight (250ml for a 5kg lamb = 4 x 60ml syringes);
- Ewe’s colostrum is the best source of antibodies for the newborn lamb;
- If using cow’s colostrum, increase the volume by 30% and mix colostrum from a few cows;
- Artificial colostrum substitutes do not have the same level/type of antibodies as ewe colostrum; therefore, it is important all lambs get at least some ewe’s colostrum;
Minimise handling wet lambs and, when carrying to pens, carry by the front two legs with the navel and mouth facing away from your clothing;
Keep ewes with newborns in an individual pen for 24 hours before placing them in a group pen or, weather permitting, turning them out to a sheltered field.