The importance of shelter in reducing neonatal lamb deaths

Abstract

A flock of Merino ewes was confined in yards to areas of shelter in the field of lambing each night and during periods of inclement weather. A second flock was lambed in the open, but otherwise under identical conditions of management. The experiment was conducted in the spring in south western Victoria, and the mortality of single-born lambs during the period from birth to 48 hours, was reduced from 19.0 per cent to 6.3 per cent by the provision of shelter. It is concluded that the reduction of wind speed plays a major part in reducing lamb losses in intensive lambing systems of this nature.