Posted: 22 January 2023

Worm Treatments and Electronic Weighing Systems

The latest version of Select Sheepware now allows a breeder to keep track of the number of worm treatments which lambs have received.  Many flock owners only worm those lambs where the weight gain since last weighing is below a specified threshold, for example 0.3 kg per day.  At the end of a season, some lambs will have had only one dose, perhaps a routine worm dose.  Other lambs may have had 3 or more worm doses, if their weight gain per day at the time of weighing was not above the desired value.

This may be an important parameter to consider when selecting lambs for replacements.  Those lambs with 3 or more worm doses in a season are likely to be the least worm resistant. Those lambs with one worm dose or less, yet which maintained a consistent good weight gain per day though the season are likely to be the most worm resistant lambs.

Those using weighing equipment such as the Trutest XR5000 scale, the Cotter crate and its associated app and other similar equipment, can specify a data field with a YES / NO value as the animals are being weighed. When the weighing data is being imported to Select Sheepware, the import selection form has been updated to allow the user to select the YES/NO data field in the equipment or app csv file.  All animals with the value are automatically selected in Select Sheepware (on the main Select Sheepware form this is indicated by a P symbol beside the selected animals).

When the weights have been saved, the selected animals can then have a worm dose recorded for them.  Apart from worm dose, a user could use the YES/NO selection field to mark animals which were pulled out to sell during the weighing session.

Selected animals may have a medicine event recorded, or a sale event, or any other group event which Select Sheepware permits to be recorded against a selected group of animals. An example of a csv file downloaded from weighing equipment or a weighing app, is shown below:
EID                             Date             Weight        Dosed
123456789012345   21/01/23          25.3              YES
123456789012346   21/01/23          28.2              NO
The animals marked as YES get automatically selected in Select Sheepware when the weight file is imported.  After updating to the current version, users should click on System, -> veterinary -> illnesses
Worming  should be marked as a worming treatment type  as shown below:

This will allow the software to count the number of worm treatments per lamb.
This is displayed on the main form of the software – worm dose count this year, worm dose count last year. If you have any queries please email info@tgmsoftware.com