Filling out the Flock register

HillFarmer

Hi all,

I'm looking for advice from sheep farmers out there filling out the flock register.
Does anyone know if there is a department document detailing what we are supposed to fill in.

I havnt filled mine out in a long time, but have all the mart dockets etc.
Think a new one came in post in 2011

So do i just do a headcount every year and fill out the form?
Do i need to enter the individaul tag numbers?

Any advice much appreciated

epfff

HillFarmer wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm looking for advice from sheep farmers out there filling out the flock register.
Does anyone know if there is a department document detailing what we are supposed to fill in.

I havnt filled mine out in a long time, but have all the mart dockets etc.
Think a new one came in post in 2011

So do i just do a headcount every year and fill out the form?
Do i need to enter the individaul tag numbers?

Any advice much appreciated

sorry to hijack
but what would happen if a man lost his mothers flock register eek
she has lots of time to go to jail but she wouldnt be able to handle a financial hit

HillFarmer

I'd say get her on the next flight out of the country:)

DMAXMAN

HillFarmer wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm looking for advice from sheep farmers out there filling out the flock register.
Does anyone know if there is a department document detailing what we are supposed to fill in.

I havnt filled mine out in a long time, but have all the mart dockets etc.
Think a new one came in post in 2011

So do i just do a headcount every year and fill out the form?
Do i need to enter the individaul tag numbers?

Any advice much appreciated

usually only sit down once a year or so to do it up. what you need really is all your dockets and arrange them in ordr of date. this includes knackery dockets if applicable.any of the new type movement dockets you only need to record the docket number in the appropriate column and the number of sheep and whether it was a sale or purchase. also the new type dockets(with a barcode on top)are all returned to the dept of ag similar to the cmms system for cattle, they are returned by the factory/mart/seller in private sale scenario.you just need to check that your figure for the census date number nad register are the same on the date

The Tree of Liberty

Firstly it should account for all your sheep.

For example the number of sheep you have at the end of the previous year will appear as adults (tagged) and lambs (untagged), lets say 100 adults and 50 lambs, then you should have at least 150 tagged animals before sales, purchases, and deaths entered in your registered during the year.

All the animals you have sold will appear in a dispatch dockets which you should have filled out for the purchaser and these should be written into the register with an S in the appropriate box and their tag number. Likewise you put a P in for animals purchased, and a D for deaths.

Where you have tagged lambs during the year you should put in a T for tagged and the new tag number.

Also remember that you now need electronic tags for all breeding ewes in your flock.

The one thing I can say as someone who had a sheep inspection lately they will check every animal in your yard and ensure your numbers correspond to the numbers in the book. Also make sure to keep all your dockets from collection agencies where sheep have died as proof of death.

The Tree of Liberty

epfff wrote: »

sorry to hijack
but what would happen if a man lost his mothers flock register eek
she has lots of time to go to jail but she wouldnt be able to handle a financial hit

I'd say than man should be getting onto his agricultural advisor before the census is due in case he or his mother gets an inspection.

You can get your previous years census figures from the department and try to work things from there. The marts you purchased sheep from should have a record in their files and likewise farmers should have a carbon copy of the despatch docket. Contact your knackary to find out the tags of those you disposed of. The farmers/marts you sold sheep to should have a record of the ones you sold them.

Then read all your animals and you should be able to fill out a new book that works back to your previous years census figures. A real administrative pain but it should work out ok.

HillFarmer

Thanks for all the replies.

One last question, can you use agfood.ie for sheep or is it just for cattle.?

The Tree of Liberty

HillFarmer wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.

One last question, can you use agfood.ie for sheep or is it just for cattle.?

Just for cattle as far as I know, but it would probably make life easier keeping track of sheep if it had a version of CMMS for them.

snowman707

like all accounts it's much easier to keep on top of it. & write up as event happen. . I had an inspection and these guys go through the register with great detail

I recently bought 2 rams privately and as I was passing the dvo the following day I dropped in the pink copy of the dispatch , the clerk told me that very few people are actually doing it & she reckoned that many will have questions to answer down the line

Username John

The Tree of Liberty wrote: »

Firstly it should account for all your sheep.

For example the number of sheep you have at the end of the previous year will appear as adults (tagged) and lambs (untagged), lets say 100 adults and 50 lambs, then you should have at least 150 tagged animals before sales, purchases, and deaths entered in your registered during the year.

All the animals you have sold will appear in a dispatch dockets which you should have filled out for the purchaser and these should be written into the register with an S in the appropriate box and their tag number. Likewise you put a P in for animals purchased, and a D for deaths.

Where you have tagged lambs during the year you should put in a T for tagged and the new tag number.

Also remember that you now need electronic tags for all breeding ewes in your flock.

The one thing I can say as someone who had a sheep inspection lately they will check every animal in your yard and ensure your numbers correspond to the numbers in the book. Also make sure to keep all your dockets from collection agencies where sheep have died as proof of death.

Hello Tree

I keep the Flock book fairly up to date - but its the the correlation of how many animals in the flock I don't understand.

There is no "running total" column in the book, just essentially a table to add or remove sheep numbers from your flock.

So in an inspection, how will they know how many sheep are meant to be on your holding? Or are they meant to go to last census date, find that in the book - and then add and subtract the entries to the current date?

Thanks.

The Tree of Liberty

Username John wrote: »

Hello Tree

I keep the Flock book fairly up to date - but its the the correlation of how many animals in the flock I don't understand.

There is no "running total" column in the book, just essentially a table to add or remove sheep numbers from your flock.

So in an inspection, how will they know how many sheep are meant to be on your holding? Or are they meant to go to last census date, find that in the book - and then add and subtract the entries to the current date?

Thanks.

If they go through your animals tagged, knackery dockets, and dispatch/purchase dockets they can work back to the figure from the last census. The only discrepancy will be your new lambs which would not yet be tagged.

RobinBanks

Hi All,

I bought in some store lambs this week and I was about to update my flock register but I thought I remember the mart telling me last mar when I was selling hoggetts that I didn't need fill it in fully? I can't remember tbh.

StoutPost

I think you can put the dispatch docket number into the register rather than all the tag numbers. I'll look at my register tomorrow and get back to you.

StoutPost

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677548#Comment_122677548

When I sell lambs at least, I put the "Document serial number", top right hand side of the dispatch docket, example 12345-1234, in the Dispatch docket serial number column in the register, I don't enter any tag numbers.

arctictree

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122681252#Comment_122681252

We have recently stopped putting the individual lamb numbers in the sales docket when selling in the mart. They use the wand to scan all the lambs in the pen and link it to the lot number. So since we only put the serial number in the register, how do we know which numbers have been sold?

hopeso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122683896#Comment_122683896

I'd say you'd need to keep listing the numbers on the dispatch document for your own records, and to cover you in an inspection or the bord bia audit. The only other option would be to get a printout from the mart, listing the tag numbers and date sold….

StoutPost

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122683896#Comment_122683896

They use the wand in our mart as well, never heard of anyone not filling in the dispatch docket though, I'd say you'd still need to for your own records? I would keep a record for my own peace of mind.

orm0nd

Only time you need to to fill in numbers is farm to farm or a mart that doesn't scan the tags. I write the dispatch docket number in register and a note of destination or whatever. When I get the tag printout from the factory or mart I put that with the yellow docket into a ring binder. Likewise with purchases. Noted in the register and dockets into ringbinder folder in chronological order. Had a Dept inspection a couple of months ago she her records matched mine to the letter. She flew through 2 year's records in a few minutes.

arctictree

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122684141#Comment_122684141

The mart manager told us to stop filling in the individual numbers on the docket. It makes the whole process a lot faster. We dont get a printout though so we are kind of missing the reconciliation.

hopeso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122685430#Comment_122685430

You could write the tag numbers on the yellow duplicate

StoutPost

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122685430#Comment_122685430

Sold lambs lately and never got told that. I don't know, not saying anyone is wrong, just to keep my own records straight in case of a difference with the inspector or an IT issue I'll keep filling in my dockets anyway.

DJ98

No need to write in any tag numbers anymore for mart or factory sales, that's the whole idea behind the Scanning of tags now in marts and the reason why we pay for eid tags. The mart should supply a list of lot numbers and tag numbers sold when issuing your cheque or statement depending on how you get paid. On that print out then you receive your dispatch docket number is also included for the corresponding lot. No job worse than trying to read tags for a pen of cull ewes or bought in sheep, at least home bred lambs tags will go in rotation.

StoutPost

On my emailed statements from the mart no tag #'s are listed. Lot number, number and description of sheep is all. They scan all the sheep.