Poor maternal behavior is a major factor in lamb mortality. If a ewe refuses or hesitates to let her lamb suckle, the lamb begins to weaken, chill, and may eventually starve or become sick due to a lack of colostrum. Tube feeding or other human intervention is a partial solution, but involves considerable labor and is not a substitute for good maternal care. A good lambing system should encourage good maternal behavior and, as much as possible, let the ewe take care of the lamb. After studying the behavior of ewes and newborn lambs, the cubicle system was developed to improve maternal care.