Incidence and heritability of ovine pneumonia, and the relationship with production traits in New Zealand sheep

•Lambs were scored for the presence and severity of pneumonic lesions at slaughter.•On average 28% of lambs had lesions at slaughter, with 7% showing severe lesions.•Estimated heritability for pneumonic lesion score was 0.07 (±0.02).•There were differences in growth rate profiles between lambs with and without lesions.