Triplet lambs and their dams – a review of current knowledge and management systems

Abstract

Triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs have the potential to improve flock productivity however, the lack of robust information on optimal nutrition and management is limiting their performance. In comparison to twins, the triplet lamb is; lighter, more metabolically challenged, has lower body temperature, and receives less colostrum and milk which combined results in lower survival rates and weaning weights. While scientifically based management guidelines are available for singletons and twins, guidelines are generally lacking for triplets. Although there is some knowledge on the impacts of nutrition, further studies are required to examine the impacts of varying feeding regimens in pregnancy and lactation, across the body condition range. Characterising the impacts of shelter and other paddock factors, stocking rate, mob size and human intervention would also be of benefit. Future studies must be large enough to allow for evaluation of lamb survival and litter birth weight variation.

Behaviour of twin- and triplet-born lambs and their dam 3 to 18 hours after birth is not a useful predictor of lamb survival to weaning

“…Mortality rates in this study were within the range of those previously reported for both twin-(8.1% to 26.7%) and tripletborn (12.7% to 53.4%) lambs managed under extensive pastoral systems in New Zealand [2,17]. The relationship between the sex of the lamb [18] and a curvilinear relationship of lamb birth weight [19,20] with survival to weaning were also consistent with previous work.…”

“…Lamb mortality is of concern to the New Zealand sheep industry from both an economic and an animal welfare perspective [ 1 ]. New Zealand studies conducted in outdoor pastoral conditions have reported lamb losses from birth to weaning of 14% to 20% for twin-born lambs and 28% to 56% for triplets [ 2 ]. An understanding of the factors involved in multiple-born lamb mortality could improve ewe flock productivity through the development of strategies to reduce lamb mortality.…”

The Potential Interaction between Nutrition of Twin-Bearing Ewes' and the Performance Growth of their Newborns

“…It has been shown that supplementing different sources of fatty acids reduces the latency to suckle (Rocha et al, 2018) in pregnant ewes. Also, Kenyon et al (2019) noticed that triplet-bearing ewe displayed a longer period of restlessness prior to lambing than both singleton and twinbearing ewes.…”

“…In addition, Hamdon (2009) shows that average suckling milk such as , fat, protein and energy pre-weaning were 28.08 L, 4.93%, 434% and 3.54 MJ/L in Sohagi sheep, respectively. Moreover, Kenyon et al (2019) found that increasing litter size was associated with a decline in the duration of suckling. Recently, Shereef (2020) found that either 17% of protein or 331 of calories were supplied to ewes' ration could be improved total protein, linoleic acid, omega 3 and unsaturated fatty acids in ewes' milk.…”

Management Strategies for Lamb Production on Pasture-Based Systems in Subtropical Regions: A Review

“…The importance of creep grazing for lamb production worldwide has been recognized for more than 60 years ( 52 ). Creep grazing has been mentioned not only as an additional feed ( 53 ) but also as a management tool for controlling parasitic infection in lambs ( 54 ). However, very few studies have been carried out in subtropical regions with grazing ewes using tropical grass species.…”