Posted: 26 June 2025

App Update! 

If a user records sheep into groups on tag reader – groups1, group2 etc, the App on both android and iPhone can download the groups from the reader.  In the App, you can view the tags in the group on the screen, print from  the App to a standard printer, or email the list of tags in the group. You don’t need any other software, so if someone downloads the App for £1.99 plus vat, they can use these functions without any other costs.

EID Reader or Phone App?|

More and more sheep farmers are recording their sheep for performance analysis.  The question is which is better, using an app on a phone, or recording directly on a reader?  George from TGM, suggests that both methods have their place in recording. TGM’s Select Sheepware App runs on both android and iPhone devices, while Select Sheepware for windows directly uploads and downloads from data recorded directly into a reader.
There are times when having instant access to a method of recording sheep events straight into a phone is useful.  For example, when you don’t have a reader with you and an event needs to be recorded.  Perhaps a dead sheep, or a sheep that’s lame and is getting medication.  George says the App is ideal for this sort of instant recording.  The App is also very useful for recording births – usually the operator is close up to the sheep and it’s not difficult to manually read the last few digits of the ear tag which will allow the app to locate the correct sheep.  When entering the lamb tag number, if the user enters the last 5 digits of the lamb’s tag number, the app inserts the other 10 digits into the EID number.  when the birth record is saved, the lamb has its EID recorded.
On the other hand, when it comes to accurate, high speed recording of multiple animals – tupping, pregnancy scanning, weighing, reading tags of animals for sale etc, recording directly on the reader is very fast and accurate.  There are few disadvantages of recording on a phone for these types of events. Endlessly tapping a phone screen is slower than pressing a button on a reader. Phones can be difficult to read in direct sunlight and they’re not a great tool to use in the pouring rain.  Always having to connect phone and reader together before recording anything takes time and when recording tasks like weighing, the reader is more likely to be faster and more accurate. The Agrident readers have an automatic weighing mode so the user does not have to press any button on the reader during the weighing process if the reader is connected to a Bluetooth Scale.  You press a button to start the process and you press a button when all the sheep have been weighed.
So, to get back to the question put at the beginning of this article, which is best, reader or app on a phone, the answer is that they both have their advantages for recording different tasks.

Please get in touch with TGM at info@tgmsoftware.com or T: 028 9268 9681 for advice and to discuss your own situation. .