5 ways EID can help you manage your sheep flock
Electronic identification (EID) can do more than identify an individual sheep. When EID is linked to accurate livestock records, it can help sheep farmers track lamb growth, understand ewe performance, manage treatments, sort stock and make more informed flock management decisions.
For many sheep farmers, EID is already part of day-to-day livestock identification and traceability. But the individual EID number can also provide a useful link between an animal and the information recorded about it throughout its lifetime.
Here are five ways EID can help you get more from your sheep records:
1. Track lamb growth and daily liveweight gain
Recording weights against an individual EID allows you to build a history of how each lamb is growing over time.
Rather than relying on one weight at a particular point in the season, individual weight records can help you monitor daily liveweight gain (DLWG) and identify how lambs are progressing.
This can give you a clearer picture of individual lamb performance and help inform decisions about management, feeding and drafting. With MyFarmWorks, individual livestock weights can be recorded and viewed through animal records and weight charts, making it easier to follow performance over time.
2. Build a complete history for every ewe
Individual sheep records can become much more useful when information is kept together over time.
For breeding ewes, records can include breeding information, pregnancy scanning, lambing, offspring and performance. Looking at this information as a history can give you a better understanding of individual ewe performance across multiple seasons.
This can support decisions around breeding, ewe retention and culling, rather than relying on one season's observations alone.
MyFarmWorks provides individual animal records and management tools for recording information such as tupping, pregnancy scanning and lambing.
3. Keep sheep treatment records connected to the animal
Good livestock record keeping is important for both flock management and compliance.
When a sheep is treated, recording the treatment against the individual animal means the information stays connected to that animal's history. This can make it easier to understand previous treatments and keep medicine records organised.
MyFarmWorks allows treatments to be recorded against individual animals or groups, with medicine records and withdrawal periods managed within the system.
4. Use EID data to sort and draft sheep
Once individual information has been recorded, it can also be used to help manage groups of sheep.
For example, you may want to find animals based on age, breed, sex, weight, daily liveweight gain, treatments, pregnancy results or management group.
MyFarmWorks' drafting tools allow livestock to be filtered and drafted using these types of criteria, helping farmers use information they have already collected when sorting stock.
5. Use your sheep records to improve flock management
The real value of individual livestock records comes from being able to look back at them and use that information to inform future decisions.
Tracking lamb growth, ewe performance, breeding, health and management information over time can help you build a clearer picture of your flock.
EID provides the individual identification that connects these records to the right animal. When that information is recorded consistently, it becomes much more useful for day-to-day flock management.
Good data doesn't just record what happened - it helps you decide what's next. Better records lead to better decisions for your flock.
What is EID used for in sheep farming?
EID is used to electronically identify individual sheep and can also provide a link between an animal and its management records. When combined with suitable livestock management software and an EID reader, farmers can record information such as weights, treatments, movements and breeding information against individual animals. MyFarmWorks is compatible with Shearwell EID readers and weighing equipment for sheep and cattle.
How can EID improve sheep record keeping?
EID can reduce the need for manually entering individual identification numbers and helps keep information connected to the correct animal. With MyFarmWorks, a connected EID reader can be used to scan tags directly into livestock records, helping farmers record weights, treatments, movements and other animal information in the field.
