George Megarry, TGM Software Solutions Northern Ireland United Kingdom Flock Recording Software

Select Sheepware An effective and easy to use program which allows the breeder to analyse data to improve flock efficiency and performance. Now used around the world by farmers with flocks ranging in size from 40 to over Used on EID and non EID tagged flocks.

Identify Best and worst Ewes, rams, lambs, breed, batch? How do we identify these. What can we measure and record? How can be use innovation and technology to help?

Record We can record weights of lambs Then we can know –Which ewes produced more than 70 kg lamb at 70 days? –Which ewes gave singles, twins, triplets –Which ewes produced less than 35 kg total lamb weight at 70 days

What is essential? 1. Lamb must be linked to mother at birth Use EID reader, or record manually 2. Lambs must be weighed around 70 to 100 days of age 3. if possible, which ram was used on each ewe recorded. Or which group of rams

What can we discover Best and worst Ewes –Which ewes produced more than 70 kg lamb at 70 days? –Which ewes gave singles, twins, triplets –Which ewes produced less than 35 kg total lamb weight at 70 days –Which ewes had birth problems – oversized lambs. Difficult births. Prolapse..

What can we discover Rams –What was total lambs per ewe from each ram –What was average day weight of lambs for each ram –Which rams produced slow growing lambs –Which rams produced fast growing lambs –Which rams gave many problems – large lambs, difficult birth dead lambs

What can we discover Lambs –Daily weight gain since last weighing –Bad weight gain – problems? Nutrition? Illness? Worms? Other problems ?

How? With new technology, much easier EID handheld reader to link lamb to mother at birth Hand held reader, or Trutest weigher to weigh lambs. Drafting equipment like Prattley or manual drafing to separate lambs with poor growth rate

Thank you for invitation and for listening. Literature is available.