Breedr launch new sheep recording app

Breedr, the precision livestock network, has launched a new sheep element to its free app, meaning producers can record lambing details, weights and medicine usage directly into their phone or tablet.

They can also produce performance reports and trade livestock directly with other farmers, based on lifetime animal data, for fully transparent supply chains.

Pembrokeshire farmer Steve Prentice helped to develop the sheep app and is impressed by how it helps to improve breeding and management decisions.

He said: “There are a lot of software programs for managing cattle but there are differences in how sheep farmers think and work – the value of cows is significantly more and they don’t have triplets all the time.

“There are also differences in requirements for pedigree flocks where everything is recorded and the more commercial flocks where individual genetics are less important but overall lambing performance and weight gain are key. Breedr can look at both.”

Steve uploads new lamb data to the app, including dam, sire, date of birth and weight, as well as vaccinations and treatments for coccidiosis, fluke and worms.

Steve added: “Breedr replaces the Defra medicine book by recording medicines, batch numbers and treatment, for every animal. It also allows us to record the general performance of ewes.”

Once a month he runs all sheep through a race and crush where he scans ear tags and automatically records the animal’s weight.

“It is fast and easy, linking the weight to the animal identity without having to do any typing or manually read ear tags.”

For more information visit www.breedr.co or call 03300 436327.