Sustainable Sheep Systems: The Genetics Behind Lamb Survival

We’re delighted to welcome you back for Season 6 of the Sustainable Sheep Systems series, focusing this year on ‘Reducing Losses at Lambing’.

Industry estimates suggest that around 15% of lambs born nationally are lost between scanning and weaning, making lamb survival an important factor for both flock profitability and animal welfare.

Every lamb counts and improving survival starts long before lambing. Alongside the fundamentals of good ewe nutrition, hygiene and colostrum management, ewe body condition, genetics, metabolic health and coinfection can all influence lamb survival and overall flock performance.

Part Three: The Genetics Behind Lamb Survival

Join us for the final webinar in the series with Geneticist Kim Hay, who will explore what we can learn from the causes of lamb mortality and how this information could help improve lamb survival through breeding.

Drawing on her research into lamb mortality and on-farm postmortem assessment, Kim will explore the main causes of early lamb losses and the extent to which genetics may influence them. The research found that simple on-farm postmortems can help identify causes of death and could improve the accuracy of selection for lamb survival in breeding programmes.

Kim will explain:

• What are the main causes of lamb mortality are
• What on-farm postmortems tell us about why lambs are lost
• Which causes of lamb mortality have a genetic component
• How recording causes of death support future breeding decisions
• What role genetic selection could play in improving lamb survival

Join us to discover what lamb losses can tell us about flock performance, and how better recording and genetic selection could help build more resilient flocks and improve lamb survival.