The results and recommendations from 23 years of on-property R&D with commercial sheep and cattle producers. We specialise in precision scanning for pregnancy, twinning, and ageing of foetus in sheep and cattle and in helping to raise lamb survival and cow fertility in stud and commercial breeding enterprises.
mob: 0428 667 567, email: fowler.doug@bigpond.com
Scanning services are offered with three different handling systems (shown below).
As a guide you can work on scanning your ewes 35 days after joining is over and before 110 days after the start of joining. However, there are requirements depending on what you are trying to achieve with the scanning job and you can determine your exact needs by contacting Doug.
Category | Service Provided |
---|---|
1 | Identify (ID) pregnant/empty (P/E) status; Also: a. ID pregnancies "outside" the chosen joining period. b. ID "abnormal" pregnancies. |
2 | Identify twinning status Identify early & late single-bearing ewes This service includes all category 1 services |
3 | Determine cycle of conception ID late lambing single-bearing ewes This service includes all category 1 & 2 services |
4 | Age every foetus (in days). ID AI & ET pregnancies versus backup pregnancies. This service includes all category 1,2 & 3 services |
5 | Specialised scanning operations: ID exact litter number Classify into groups, e.g. sire, management, treatment We also include all category 1, 2, 3 & 4 services. |
If you utilise the services of ALSSg to scan your ewes, you will be provided with a vendor declaration statement that can be used in association with any intended sales of your sheep. The vendor declaration is a very thorough document, it provides a great amount of detail and has been in widespread use for private sales:
Doug Fowler: Mobile: 0428 667 567
Postal address: 21 Wilson Road Glen Innes NSW 2370
Email - click this link: fowler.doug@bigpond.com
The "Walk Through" handler
Where this handling machine is used you should scan the ewes as soon as possible but no sooner than 34 days after joining is over.
It is also essential that:
Rates of throughput with this handler are around 800 to 1200 per day.
The modified "Sheep Crutching" Handler
This sheep handling machine is used for small mobs where very accurate scanning is required. With this machine it is possible to;
There is nothing about the pregnancy status of a ewe that cannot be determined using this handler. Rates of throughput with this handler are around 700 to 1100 per day.
The modified "VE belt" handler
This sheep handling machine can be used to scan mobs of any number and will achieve very accurate results with very high rates of throughput. Time is always scarce and there is always another task to get to. The sooner a job gets done, the lower are the associated costs, particularly the costs of labour.
All of the scanning tasks performed by the other two sheep handling machines can be performed on this machine. Close to 3 million ewes have been scanned using machines with this design and with constant refinement the machine now is capable of handling your ewes with the utmost care. The Belt Handler has a proven track record for accuracy. Because of this fact, I can guarantee the accuracy of the results that will be achieved as a result of its use.
With the Belt Handler machine it is possible to:
With the belt handler it is necessary to put the ewes onto their back as indeed is necessary for many husbandry tasks such as shearing, crutching, and foot paring. Indeed the effect on the ewes being scanned with this machine is no greater, and possibly much less than that involved with crutching and shearing.
Dr Doug Fowler and Dr John Wilkins developed the commercial technique for scanning sheep and cattle here in Australia before it was done anywhere else in the world. Indeed both have, from time to time, gone overseas and throughout Australia to train others. All of the members of the ALSSg team have been trained and have their accuracy checked annually by Dr Doug. All the members of the ALSSg team are fully cognizant of WHS requirements and do carry their own Public Liability.