Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: New to all this - record keeping  (Read 3485 times)

mrst064

  • Joined Aug 2015
New to all this - record keeping
« on: August 31, 2015, 08:03:05 pm »
Hello all! Just thought I'd introduce myself...

I recently inherited my Dad's Poll Dorset flock, he very sadly lost his fight with cancer in June. I was brought up with them around but never really got my hands mucky until it came to our local agricultural shows where I'd happily making them look the part and show them. Anyway, I LOVE it!

So far we have managed the following: shearing, worming, dagging out, feet clipped, worming again, lambs clicked, moved them around my Dad's numerous fields to suit our needs and theirs, booked in for our first show without Dad, fly strike on one tup, had a very old boy put down, another good decent tup sold, one ewe give pen and strep for five days (amazing considering I hate needles!) and some other ewes and lambs on the market. I am quite impressed so far by how much I must have known. But I'll have hundreds and hundreds of questions going forward I'm sure.

We have 6 of his ewes due to lamb in September, and this has got me thinking about record keeping and some sort of annual pattern as to when we lamb, when we need to worm, when we need to do heptavac, mineral drench etc. I am a stay at home mum, but before this I was an Operations and Projects Manager, I would like something easily managable functional, can anyone recommend the systems they use? I have an excel spreadsheet but I can see this getting pretty huge!


farmvet

  • Joined Feb 2014
Re: New to all this - record keeping
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2015, 10:55:35 pm »
You'll manage easily with a simple spreadsheet.  You could get your vet to help fill in dosing etc according to your local risk. I've attached a basic layout I use: stock groups in different columns ewes lambs replacements tups then just fill in different procedures in the rows eg 6 weeks pretupping, tupping, midpregnancy, 6wk prelambing, etc.
If your lambing at several times of year the basics wont change much so you can still look up what your doing eg 6 weeks prelambing.
If you get really mixed up pm me and I'll copy you a sample of a client one.      

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: New to all this - record keeping
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2015, 11:21:42 pm »
I store all that stuff in the giant computer in my head  :eyelashes:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Porterlauren

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: New to all this - record keeping
« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2015, 11:36:00 pm »
Make yourself a yearly planner to start, that will simplify things. So put in when you will lamb and then work out from that, to add tupping, weaning, vaccinating, worming, shearing etc etc.

Then get yourself some box files and a couple of good simple excel sheets and you're away.

And keep a normal calendar on your wall and write stuff down as you do it so you can add it to the computer later.


Buffy the eggs layer

  • Joined Jun 2010
Re: New to all this - record keeping
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2015, 09:44:03 am »
I have mine in an excel spreadsheet which calculates dates so If I drop in a date for rams in it will calculate a flushing date for 6 weeks prior. Or if I put in a date a ewe was tupped it calculates feeding and pre lambing vaccination dates.


You could jot them in a diary or on a year planner if you find that easier. I also record info about my ewes. How many lambs they have, when they lamb in relation to their due date, who gets tupped first etc.


I'm so pleased that you have taken the flock on and your achievements so far would make your dad proud I'm sure. Those who love our sheep would like to think that they could hand them on to someone who would love and care for them as we have done. Good luck with them and do ask lots of questions and read lots of other peoples posts.  :wave:





Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: New to all this - record keeping
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2015, 09:50:44 am »
Those who love our sheep would like to think that they could hand them on to someone who would love and care for them as we have done.

That is so true, especially when you have spent so many years developing your flock to be just as you want it.  My offspring are very blunt in saying they have no intention of having anything at all to do with our sheep  :( :( :( :hugsheep: :hugsheep: :hugsheep:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: New to all this - record keeping
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2015, 04:06:20 pm »
A spreadsheet or so will do you.  I've managed with just that for several years ... although it's starting to get more complicated since I started bolusing and stuff.  I've been meaning to write myself a web-based front end for it all, with a year planner and reminders, so that I don't forget to re-bolus or I know which animals are still on withdrawal etc, also I rotationally graze and I record that on a s/s currently - it would be better to have that linked in too, ... and working out 60 and 150 day lamb weights could be automated ... recording foot problems or any other things that would mark it as a cull ... the list is endless.  If only I didn't have my day job I would get on and do it :D.

Porterlauren

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: New to all this - record keeping
« Reply #7 on: September 02, 2015, 04:56:26 pm »
Of course, you could just get a psion.

mrst064

  • Joined Aug 2015
Re: New to all this - record keeping
« Reply #8 on: September 02, 2015, 07:58:03 pm »
Thanks everyone! He was really pleased I wanted to do it ad I hope he'd be proud of me now. I'm 29 with a 2.5 year old boy who just adores them too and it seemed such a shame to take them away from him too. My husband was always happy to help my Dad but has since taken to it like a duck to water.

I'll stick to my spreadsheet for now then, I have numerous pages for different things and it it relatively easy to pull up when what happened to each individual sheep now.

My Dad kept a lot in his head too, lambing he has a little notebook for which I've since added to the spreadsheet.

Thanks again everyone!


 
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