Sheep Pedigree Record Keeping

Breeding Records

Irrespective of how large a flock you have, or whether you run a pedigree or purely commercial flock, keeping breeding records can be extremely useful and increase profits. The size of your flock will no doubt influence your method of data collection and even you overall feeling toward keeping records for your sheep. However, with the introduction of EID data collection such as lambing records, weight records and breeding traits has never been easier to collect. Record keeping that was once seen as impossible on large commercial flocks is now possible without the need to stay up all night updating your books.

FarmIT 3000 provides all the information you need to record your breeding in full whether you are a pedigree breeder or not. This includes all aspects of breeding from tupping to weaning, including embryo implantation, scanning, automatic identification of sire on gestation, lambing records, ease of lambing, lambing problems, prolapse and abortion.

It also provides analysis tools for Lambing, year on year breeding, problems and disease, pedigree relationship and weighing. including analysis of Sire and Dam progeny performance.

EID (electronic identification)

We have been using EID on farm to collect breeding data since 2004. Since then reader and tags have improved greatly and the introduction of mandatory tagging of breeding ewe with EID since 2010 has seen a great increase in farmers using EID reader to record breeding record.

If you record manually writing records in your lambing book, recording 500 or 1000 lambing records would be quite challenging and only really for the dedicated pedigree breeder. EID readers and the use of computers have really changed that. Our largest breeder records over 2000 ewes with hand held EID readers and he lambs them outside.

We provide EID readers and routines that allow you to collect data in the field which is then imported directly into our FarmIT 3000 software. Literally from field to analysis in minutes.

Lambing Records With EID

The Animal Record Card

Each animal has its own record card which bring together all the animals data including its basic information and multiple 'Tabs' for movements, Management groups, Notes, Lambing, breeding, pedigree, vet and med, medical tests, weight record, EID audit log, Profit and loss. All data may be entered manually for a single animal on its record card, but we tend to do it in mass with EID!

Sheep Record Card

The animals lambing tab bring together all aspects of lambing from tupping to lambing....

Tupping, AI, Single Siring, Chasers and Embryo Implantation Records.

We like to be fexible! and FarmIT provides for a wide range of customers. The sheep year starts with tupping and we provide you with the ability to not only record the day the ram went in, but which ram for how long, followed by a second (Chaser), removal of embryo and implantation into a surrogate ewe. Thankfully most of you keep it simple.

Scanning records

Scanning records allow you to record the number of lambs expected. Many of our customers scan their ewes, then adjust feeding and lambing accordingly. If recording the actual lambing event is a little daunting then scanning can give you a good understanding of your flock's performance.

Lambing Records

The main event for most of you. With an EID reader in the field (or shed) this is not as bad as you may think, but does require one major commitment, to 'TAG' your lambs at birth! For some of you this will be the reason why recording becomes pointless. There is of course some use in knowing that the EWE had twins, however if you are there and can record that I would strongly suggest that not tagging the lambs and having the link to Sire and dam is just a waste of time.  I will of course not convince you, so if you do tag your lambs at birth you will find that recording the lambing event, with lambs identified and linked to their mother really does not take more than 20 - 30 seconds.

The lambing routines include lambing ease by default and on the more complex hand-held reader such as the Psion WorkAbout pro with FarmIT Mobile software can be customised to include birth weights, sire confirmation and breeding traits.

You can of course record lambing records manually and enter them directly into the software on the ewes breeding card.

Ewe Lambing Record

Weaning records

Each animal within the system has a weaning date, any weight record withing 10 days of this date (if not the same date) is taken as the weaning weight. You may then compare this weight from the perspective of the lamb or ewe. For more information on weighing see weighing and recording Sheep

Reporting and Analysis

FarmIT 3000 includes both fixed reporting and analysis tools. Fixed reports provide listings of the raw data for example list of lambing records, scanning records, tupping records etc, summary reports of production per season etc.  Analysis tools provide flexible data grids where you may apply filters, select and sort columns etc. Both reports and analysis tool can print and export data. You may also click on records and go directly to the animals full breeding card.

Lambing Report

Lambing Analysis

Lambing analysis provide analysis of a single lambing season from tupping through to weaning. It allows you to revue tupping dates, scanning, lambing and weaning, ewe by ewe, line by line. It also provides sire confirmation by showing actual and calculated service dates, and provides 'efficiency' scoring of ewes based on lamb weaning weights.

Lambing Analysis

Breeding Analysis

Breeding analysis bring together the ewes lambing history into a single line by line analysis. This includes her age, number of lambing records, number of lambs, average per lambing, still borns, deaths, average weight gain and number sold and on farm. You may select/hide and sort columns and size them.

Ewe Breeding Analysis

Pedigree Trees

Finally, we can produce a pedigree tree at the click of a button, you can of course record an animals pedigree name, breed society and society number (if different from the UK tag number). You can even enter 'Historic  Pedigree' animals to complete the tree. These animals do not have movement records etc and need not have been anywhere near your farm.


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