[nutterly_uts]

Hiya

Have been sent the link to a free trial of Select Sheepware to play with (We saw it demo'd at the Athenry Sheep event in the Summer)  although don't currently have any sheep (!)

Does anyone else use this program or another for recording sheep information - this one lets me do all sorts including default birth weights, recording lambing information including delivery and if the lamb was on mum, bottled or fostered (and a box for foster ewe's tag number), tagging and retagging information for each sheep, the option to track weights from birth to sale and my personal favourite, the option to record a "cupboard" of medicines you use including expiry and batch number, then corresponding options to record doses on sheep pages - either as a group for worming or individually if a problem etc.

I also believe from the demo this can be linked to a EID reader either in wand form, or in a race which then can be manually updated with a smart phone or automatically update info like weight, or can be used with a gate to automatically sort specific numbered sheep out from the rest.

I know you can do all this for much cheaper with a notebook but the techy in me likes the idea - I just wondered if there is a better/different one to look at too?

Thanks!

[Marches Farmer]

I use a Rolodex card index.  I can look up the background of any sheep in my flock in the time it takes to turn on the computer and I don't have to worry about power cuts.   The number of reports I get back from market showing their (very expensive) stick EID reader was unable to read tags I knew to be in place and in good condition makes me think EID still has some way to go to be a reliable tool.

[Tim W]

I use the Shearwell farmworks and love it---but I have seen Border and Select systems & know people who use both and they love their systems too
So I think they are all pretty good and you just get used to the one you have

The shearwell system does all that you describe and more

EID readers at mart----on a few occasions I have seen tags not read at mart but I have read the tags with my Psion, so I think often the problem is a cheap reader the mart has rather than the tags themselves
(I have never had a Shearwell tag that hasn't read & I use 1500/year)

I would struggle without an electronic recording system now but used to performance record 650 ewes on paper
Value for money? I think you need a few 100 sheep to justify it but if it tickles you fancy then go for it!

[mowhaugh]

I also use Shearwell Farmworks, and really like it.  Could have written exctly what Tim W said, basically.  Favourite feature is when you can program the Psion to bring up a comment when you scan a sheep's tag, so we have this enabled for all our retained tup lambs and shearlings (we sell as 2 shears) to tell us who their father is, for example.