Comply, Record, Retain Control and improve financial returns on your lamb crop this Season

EID tagging much earlier, even from birth offers a host of benefits at no real extra cost.

Lambs can be quickly and easily identified when using EID Stick or Panel readers. This not only improves record keeping when administering flock treatments such as wormers and fly prevention, but also all aspects linked to health, nutrition, genetics and hitting finishing weights.

Tag even the youngest of lambs with lightweight TagFaster. © Kiwikit/Roxan

Livestock identification and recording remain one of the most common failure for withholding of Single Payment Scheme (SPS) or Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) subsidy. The RPA inspects 3% of holdings each year.

Inspections typically include a full head count looking for missing or incorrectly applied ear tags along with a detailed inspection of randomly selected animals to check and electronically read these ear-tags. A sample of these animals’ movement history will also be traced through on farm records too.

Lambs finished off grass need only be singly ‘EID Slaughter Tagged’ when moved or before nine months of age. They require double tagging with ‘Breeding Set’ if on the farm longer than 12 months. One of these tags is an EID tag.

Animals are often only tagged prior to movement and the EID chip -which has a number unique to that animal is never read (the number printed on the tag is the batch number).

Identify key ewe/sire performance highlighting genetic traits that should be retained, as well as those to be culled out.  For example, mothering performance, fertility, milk supply, lamb growth and finished weights including abattoir carcass grades.

Both ewe and sire can be linked to their lambs via ‘Offspring Mode’ on your EID reader. Management decisions can then be made based on real data improving flock productivity.

Lamb and ewe nutritional needs need to be met as from eight weeks thereafter, energy intake of a lamb is greater from grass than from milk and a plentiful forage supply is essential.

EID Tag reading linked to electronic weighing helps you see lambs are still thriving and leaner ewes recovering in readiness for tupping.

TagFaster-up to six times faster in groups of 10 pairs or 20 single EIDs without reloading. © Kiwikit/Roxan

Weighing linked to EID Tagging could dictate early weaning if grass is tight, moving lambs to better keep. Trace element deficiencies including cobalt and copper can also be revealed. With regard to ewes, their nutritional journey towards tupping can also be planned through weighing and body condition scoring (BCS).

Parasite burdens and a bigger flock health and performance picture can be revealed allowing treatment intervention quicker often before other symptoms and growth checks occur when combining EID tag reading and weighing.

A more targeted selective treatment (TST) programme treating individuals instead of a blanket approach reducing cost and danger of resistance build up.

Weighing also ensures any flock worming treatment or mineral supplementing is undertaken accurately, once again reducing the risk of resistance build up and ensuring maximum treatment efficacy (effectiveness) treating accurately to the animal’s weight removing guesswork.

Hitting target weights when drawing finished lambs meets market requirements, achieving better financial returns and in many cases, finishing animals quicker.

Monitoring individual animal performance by regular weighing, using their EID number removes the guesswork and when combined with body condition scoring, consistent pens of lambs can be presented for sale hitting optimum weight and carcass grades.

Review of abattoir kill sheets can ensure finished animals are produced. 

Bluetooth and instantly print a record. © Kiwikit/Roxan

As they say, knowledge is power so #measuretomanage to gain productivity improvements right through your flock, comply with legislation, record keeping and retain control, knowing exactly what animals are moved from your holding by utilizing the EID tag you are obliged to use anyway.

TagFaster is the only fully automatic tagging system used on even the youngest of lambs being not only lightweight, but quick and easy to apply providing a reliable EID read and high ear retention.

TagFaster is automatically dispensed offering total tagging convenience and speed up to six times faster than traditional tagging in groups of 10 pairs or 20 single EIDs. The Manual Applicator also allows an individual animal to be tagged if required.

The Tru-Test range of EID compatible weigh scales and panel or stick readers allow quick EID scanning and weighing so individual animal weights and other traits can be recorded against each animal’s unique ID number.

For more information contact any of the Roxan or Kiwikit team,

Roxan main office; Tel. 01750 724 110 Kiwikit main office; Tel. 01584 879 959

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With the grass finally growing lambs will be coming on fast and here is hoping for a buoyant market!