There may come a stage when surplus lambs appear, and when they do, it leads to an increased workload. It’s not an ideal scenario and where cross-fostering can be carried out, it’s a good solution to this problem.

Although increasing litter size has been recognised as one of the key factors driving profitability on sheep farms, the higher levels of multiple births and the extra workload that brings (e.g. cross-fostering and rearing surplus lambs), are some of the reasons why farmers are not keen on driving prolificacy within their flocks.

When cross-fostering can’t take place, a plan for dealing with surplus lambs is needed.

If your plan is to rear the lambs artificially, then preparation is key. Before lambing begins, appropriate pre-lambing nutrition for ewes is critical, especially for those carrying three or more lambs.

One of the biggest factors influencing lamb survival is birth weight. Low birth weights, in particular lambs weighing below 3.5kg, are associated with high levels of mortality.

For triplet-bearing ewes, the target is to deliver the lambs with a birth weight of 4kg, in order to maximise the chances of survival and to ensure a good supply of colostrum. This is why appropriate nutrition pre-lambing is vital.

Once ewes lamb down, it’s important to get sufficient amounts of colostrum into the lambs. Then remove surplus lambs from the dam 24 hours after birth.

The following guidelines should be carried out when artificially rearing lambs, according to Teagasc:

A predominantly grass-based diet is the most profitable option with surplus lambs, when rearing them on their dam is not a feasible or desired option.