Improving Lamb Survival

Sheep up to a year old are particularly vulnerable to environmental
stresses and diseases compared with older sheep. Lambs are born
without antibodies to protect them against disease and only after they
have received a good supply of antibody rich colostrum will they have
any protection against infection. Even after the early lamb stage, lambs
are very vulnerable to many diseases including gut and skin parasites.

Most lamb losses occur around lambing time. The major causes of lamb death are:
- Abortion and Stillbirths
- Exposure and Starvation
- Infectious Diseases
- Congenital Defects
- Predators and Misadventure

Many lambs could survive with better planning, good preparation, well
organised lambing routines and facilities, good stockmanship, possibly
increased supervision and staffing numbers around lambing time and
early recognition of problem lambs.

Improving lamb survival follow:
- Higyene
  Disease spread within and between flocks can be reduced by the application of simple, common sense 
  quarantine rules as part of a farm biosecurity
- Health program
  Including disease investigation and vaccination program
- Exposure and starvation
  Attention to ewe condition, feeding and management plus early recognition and
  correct treatment of lambs at risk
- Misadventure and Predators
  Turning out weakly lambs and mis-mothering can lead to high losses