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Hypothermia - The Number One Killer of Young Lambs
By Peers Davies MRCVS
Peers Davies is a dedicated sheep vet and sheep farmer. Read his article on the future of sheep farming.
Hypothermia (chilling) has, on average, always been the biggest killer of lambs in this country and this year may be the worst yet. It was the cause of over half the early lamb losses in the last two years in the UK. It is relatively easily managed when caught early and treated according to a simple protocol. Prevention is obviously better than treating affected cases. Early lambing is inherently riskier, so providing shelter in the paddock is essential and keeping the groups of ewes and lambs small to reduce the risk of mismothering.
Vital to reducing losses, is the strength of early bonding between the ewe and its lambs. Well mothered lambs drink more colostrum and receive more shelter than ones with a poor maternal bond, which directly affects the chances of survival. Plastic lamb jackets provide added insulation, especially important for smaller lambs and with the added benefit of discouraging predators.
Birth weight is the next most important factor in deciding whether a lamb will survive. Ensure ewes receive very high quality forage and additional concentrate in late pregnancy to boost lamb birth weight and supply the increased maintenance requirements of the ewe in very harsh weather. Heavier lambs have more brown fat and are better able to maintain their own body temperature.
If you are housing ewes and lambs, avoid drafts wherever possible as a strong draft can be worse for a lamb than being kept outdoors. Beware of overstocking and the increased risk of miss-mothering and coccidiosis. 23sq feet for a ewe and lambs is the absolute minimum space required and survival will be higher if 30-35 sq feet can be provided.
Step by Step Guide to Treating Hypothermic Lambs
1) If a lamb is sluggish, not nursing and/or feels cold, take its temperature.
2) If temperature is between 37°C and 39°C and the lamb is any age and can swallow, feed colostrum by stomach tube and return to ewe.
3) If temperature is less than 37°C and the lamb is less than 5 hours old and can swallow, put lamb in warming box, feed colostrum by stomach tube and either return directly to the ewe or place in after care unit and then return it to the ewe.
4) If temperature is less than 37°C and the lamb is more than 5 hours old and...
a. Can swallow: feed colostrum by tube, put lamb in warming box, continue feeding colostrum by stomach tube and either return directly to ewe or place in after care unit and then return to ewe.
b. Cannot swallow: give glucose by intra-peritoneal injection (your vet can demonstrate this) move lamb to warming box, begin feeding colostrum by stomach tube and either return directly to ewe or place in after care unit and then return to ewe.
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