There is evidence that effective shelter can significantly improve lamb survival, but the majority of Australian studies have occurred in small paddocks where the ewes had no choice but to use shelter. In mixed farming systems with large open paddocks, it is unclear if ewes will choose to use shelter for lambing. Our multidisciplinary collaboration examines the use of woody shrubs as an opportunity to improve the survival of twin lambs. In a series of large experiments on commercial farms, we will evaluate the impact of different shrub planting configurations, orientations, and densities on microclimates at the sub-paddock scale. Twin-bearing ewes with GPS trackers will graze a mosaic of shelter options to identify lambing sites relative to climatic conditions at the time of lambing. Relatively palatable and unpalatable shrubs have been planted to explore trade-offs between the attraction of ewes to shelter against declining shelter value, because palatable shrubs are defoliated faster than relatively unpalatable options. A linked project is investigating the use of the same shrub systems to provide shade and antioxidants during joining when temperatures exceed the sheep thermal comfort zone for extended periods in summer. Hardy perennial shrubs such as saltbush offer an opportunity to improve profitability and climate resilience of farming systems, while improving landscape health. Multidisciplinary research is required to understand the benefits and limitations of these systems
