Data-based Sheep Software Solutions (DbSSS) has created “Data-based SheepTrack™” to make electronic identification of sheep and recording their data as simple and trouble-free as possible. Because we do much of the unfamiliar work for you behind the scenes, if you are using electronic tags for the first time, Data-based SheepTrack™ is an excellent system to help ease you into the new concepts involved. Our system truly has the capacity to pay for itself in its first year of use. We find our clients continue to use our services in following years as well, and prefer we carry out some of the 'once a year' operations for them..

Electronic tags, and the equipment to read them in your first year, are a once-only expense, as the tags are re-usable many times. One of our clients is using their original tags for the fourth time in 2008. Once you have taken the plunge and purchased the equipment, in following years the only purchase you may need to make is new tag buttons and, (if you desire), new conventional visual tags for the next mating season. After initial set-up, the recurrent cost of new buttons for the re-usable electronic tags is minimal. You will quickly reap the rewards of lower labour costs, rapid and accurate sheep identification, elimination of duplicates, and greatly reduced physical exertion, as wrestling animals to read tags becomes a thing of the past. No matter how careful, reading conventional tags with the naked eye inevitably leads to at least a 3% - 5% error rate.

( Please note that illustrations below are for the "stud" version of Data-based SheepTrack™. The 'commercial flock' version of Data-based SheepTrack™ has fewer forms, and is more simple to use).The "commercial flock" version is the version to use if you are recording data for ewes. The forms are almost identical to the "stud version", and for illustrative purposes, we have used the "stud version" on this website.

From Wednesday 28 November 2007 the Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) commenced supplying electronic NLIS (Sheep) tags at a subsidised retail price. The Dep't states there has been considerable producer interest for some time in the use of electronic identification technology for flock management purposes because of the significant limitation of tags that can only be read visually. However, unsubsidised tag prices in the order of $2-50 per tag have discouraged uptake.

In addition, wool growers and sheep meat producers will be able to apply for a Victorian Government dollar for dollar grant of up to $2,500 to assist with the purchase of readers, software and technical support.

We can re-create the association between the visual tags and electronic tags for you, and enter both tag number types into Data-based SheepTrack™ before dispatch. This is called a ‘bucket file’. Order your electronic tags and/or numbered buttons well in advance - likewise, if you are returning used tags please do so as soon as possible. Don’t concern yourself with the electronic numbers - you never have to deal with that part of the system. After the first year, simply order the normal visual tags, and the new numbered buttons. (The numbered buttons are punched into the back of the electronic tags at marking time). Visual and electronic tag associations are built into the bucket file, which for the 2012 drop looks, in part, something like this: (We add the 2 for (say) the year 2012drop)

2100 982 009103339587

2101 982 009103361192

2102 982 009103379394

2103 982 009103386635

2104 982 009103341612

2105 982 009103342073

2106 982 009103387477

2107 982 009103342076

2108 982 009103343918 etc etc

We can also set up each mating group against given sets of tag numbers. This enables you to keep track of the performance of individual rams and/or mating groups.

With re-used tags, the grower sends the trays, electronic tags, and for sheep, long stemmed numbered buttons to us at least six to eight weeks before marking commences to enable us to clean the tags and re-create the tag associations. DbSSS returns the tags to you in their trays prior to commencement of marking.

At marking time, as you move from paddock to paddock, the producer needs to note down the tag numbers for each mating group (e.g. Tags 2001 – 2152 to say ram syndicate4132, 4150 etc), and email that information to DbSSS and we can enter that information prior to dispatch of the database. We can email the database to you, or forward it in a CD by post, in plenty of time prior to the first 100 day weigh-in. Please contact us before forwarding, to help our timetable and ensure your database arrives in time.

To identify animals electronically, you have two sets of connections that must be created. Do this in plenty of time before you attempt taking your gear down to the yards – even in the second and following years.

First connection : (Between your stick or panel reader and computer). When your equipment arrives, install the Reader software, and set up the stick or panel reader and ensure the reader is reading tags into your laptop via Hyper Terminal or Bluetooth, as per instructions from the manufacturer of your reader.

DbSSS recommends Bluetooth stick readers, as it eliminates the need for any cables between the stick reader and the laptop, enabling you to walk around the yards with your reader and remain connected to your computer. Stick readers have a number of advantages over panel readers for most sheep producers. Put simply, Bluetooth is an electronic signal that transmits data between the tag reader and your computer without any wiring, and has more than sufficient range to reach anywhere you are working in most sheepyards. Manufacturers of electronic tag readers provide a Bluetooth option – (a sender on the stick reader and a small USB receiver that is plugged into your laptop). Order a complete Bluetooth kit if possible from your supplier.

Ensure you have a very pure power supply for the reader, such as the battery pack that is part of the reader hardware. Once you have set up the software for the stick reader, (in say the case of equipment using Bluetooth), do not proceed further until you are certain you have connectivity between your reader and your laptop. (Don’t forget to plug the little USB Bluetooth receiver into your laptop). After installing the software for your reader, switch on your reader after charging it up, or if you have direct-connected it to an alternative battery, (a 12volt car battery is perfect), and in the left hand menu, select – (in this example using Allflex software), ‘Search for devices in range’. When your reader has been found, right click on its icon with your mouse on ‘Connect RFID Tags’.You must then have two green arrows pointing at your device.You can now sub this screen down to your bottom task bar. Do not cancel this screen out or you may terminate the connection. Different manufacturers have their own instructions, so check to get it right. Almost every emergency call we receive is caused by connection problems between the reader and the computer.

If you cannot reach this stage go to the Troubleshooting section of your Reader Manual, or contact the manufacturer of your reader. (Just one good reason for setting this up at home several days before heading off down to the yards).

Once you have carried out the above procedure a couple of times, bringing the reader up on your laptop will become second nature. At any time you terminate Data-based SheepTrack™ during reading tags, (such as a lunch break), you will need to re-establish the above connection. Likewise, if at any time Data-based SheepTrack™ stops reading tags, re-check that you have connectivity, such as the two green arrows pointing to your device. Common causes of reader failure include someone accidentally tripping over the wires connecting your reader transmitter to the battery, dirty battery connections, or a flat battery. Many readers have an in-built battery that in new condition may carry you through the day, but re-charge time may take up to 17 hours. Most readers have a direct 12 volt battery-to-reader cable for such an event, and an extra insurance is to have a 240 volt converter running off a generator or mains power, continually re-charging the car battery. This can also serve as a very useful source of power for your laptop, as most (if any) laptop batteries will not see a full day out. At the 200 day weigh-in and at classing time when additional staff are present, with high labour costs, downtime due to power failure can be very expensive.

When you install the reader software for the first time, a Bluetooth icon should appear on your laptop screen or bottom Taskbar, making it easier to open up the computer tag reader programme to check and possibly re-establish the lost connection.

Second connection. (Between Data-based SheepTrack™ and your stick reader)

Having achieved connectivity with your laptop, install Data-based SheepTrack™ on your laptop. Place the Data-based SheepTrack™ CD in the computer and go to Start>Run and type in d:\setup.exe and follow the prompts. Alternatively, place the CD in your laptop, and go to ‘My Computer’ or Windows Explorer’, open up the CD contents and double-click on the setup.exe file and follow the prompts.

Data-based SheepTrack™ is a true ‘stand alone’ programme.

Once Data-based SheepTrack™ is installed, open Data-based-SheepTrack™. (Go to Start>All Programs>Data-based SheepTrack™ and click on the Data-based SheepTrack™ icon.).

The Main Menu (below) will appear.

Select ‘Setup Tag Reader’

Tick the box ‘Activate Tag Reader’.

Red ‘Tag Reader Inactive’ will turn green to ‘Reader Active’ on the Main Menu.

If you cannot activate the tag reader or read any tags when testing, try a different

Com Port Number (say 5 or 6)

If you skip or forget this step, Data-based SheepTrack™ will not electronically read your tags.

On the main Menu select ‘Test Tag Reader’ and pass a few electronic tags past the stick reader. Once successful, click ‘Done’.

This completes the second connection, and setting up again should be trouble free. Once you have established Data-based SheepTrack™ is reading the tags, you are up and running.

From the Main Menu select Forms > Data Entry.( Please note that illustrations below are for the "stud" version of Data-based SheepTrack™. The 'commercial flock' version of Data-based SheepTrack™ has fewer forms, and is more simple to use).The "commercial flock" version is the version to use if you are recording data for ewes. The forms are almost identical to the "stud version", and for illustrative purposes, we have used the "stud version" on this website.

Depending on whether you are weighing the rams (100, 200 or 300 Days) or Classing (400 Days), select the appropriate form.

With the more simple 100 and 300 day weigh-ins, the cursor will remain sitting on the Weaning Weight or 300 Day Weight ‘text box’, and it only takes seconds before you are ready for the next animal. During Data-based SheepTrack™ trials, with the sheep running well, sometimes three people pushing up the sheep could not keep up with the computer operator, and 1000 animals can easily be weighed in less than a full day.

DbSSS has found overwhelming support for retaining manual weight data entry as producers use this opportunity to have a good look at their sheep and keep a watchful eye for faults, which can be noted in the Comments window, as well as being in front of the computer to use the “Last Ram” button, which is explained below, and the need to add extra data at 200 days and at classing time. You would be amazed the number of time the "Last Ram" (or "Last Ewe") button is used.

The 200 Day Weigh-in form also includes provision for Fat and Eye Muscle Depth and Scrotal Circumference.

All the forms (100 Day Weigh in to Classing) have queries which produce reports relevant to each weigh-in form, which can be viewed as you go along.

The calculations in the Form reports are programmed only to include animals that have the necessary data. So dead or missing sheep, etc do not ‘dilute’ your results. Animals that have died and you have not found, or are simply missing show up as a count with no weight, which is a useful check on your muster, or other problems of which you may be unaware. The report ‘200 Day Weight Totals’ from the 200 day weigh-in form below shows that 27 animals have not been mustered.

This is the other report “200 Day Weights by Mating Group’ generated in the 200 day weigh-in form.

From these two reports, you can calculate you have 24 + 34 + 15 = 73 animals at 200 days, with 27 missing or dead. A total is also provided.

As soon as you enter any data, it is permanently recorded in the database. You do not have to ‘Save’ as you go along, but if you feel more comfortable by saving data, click on the button immediately to the right of the ‘Last Ram’ button until you gain full confidence in the system. However, Data-based SheepTrack ™ automatically saves the record you are adding or editing, or as soon as a new animal is scanned or you move or tab across the insertion point to a different record, or close the form or datasheet you are working on.

The ‘Last Ram’ button is used mainly when a new ram (or ewe) has entered the weighing scales and its tag has already been scanned, but it may be noticed that the animal that has just left the race has a problem like a grass seed in an eye, or a fault in the back legs. Hit the ‘Last Ram’ button, and that previous ram will be retrieved, and the fault can be noted in the Comment window. As it could just be the way the ram was standing, or the grass seed is removed etc, the fault can be checked again at later weigh-ins. Hit the ‘Last Ram’ button again, and you come back to the ram in the race being weighed or classed. Again, until you have gained confidence saving data with Data-based SheepTrack™, if you have any doubts, use the ‘Last Ram’ button to check the previous animal's data was saved.

The classing form below is the final form, where the 400 Day weight can be entered, and the 400 Day growth rate will automatically be created, (providing the ram in question was weighed at 100 days), wool data viewed etc. Classing Result can be entered from 1 to (say) 10, or alternatively, if you advise us before we dispatch the database, we can create a different classing list as long as you like according to your requirements, such as:

Reserves

Auction

1 st Sales

2 nd Sales

Bottom Sales

Flocks

Culls

Names of potential buyers for a particular ram or rams.

Tag not used

For ease of operation though, we suggest you keep the list as short as practicable.

If you are weighing fleeces and having the wool tested, you can return your database to DbSSS (via email or post) and if given sufficient time we can import the wool data for you and return your Data-based SheepTrack™ back to you via email in time for classing.When you install the reader software for the first time, a Bluetooth icon should appear on your laptop screen or bottom Taskbar, making it easier to open up the computer tag reader programme to check and possibly re-establish the lost connection.

Reports :

Once all the data is entered, disconnect the reader and de-activate the database by un-ticking the “Activate Tag Reader” box. The stick reader does not have to be activated to read reports and you may not have to use the stick reader again for the rest of the year. (An annoying error message may appear if you leave the database activated and use the scroll method to bring up a particular ram number). Alternatively, you may still choose to keep Data-based SheepTrack™ active to identify animals electronically out in the yards after classing for various post-classing tasks.

Select ‘Reports’ from the Main Menu. Most reports are self explanatory. These are additional reports to the queries and reports on the four 100, 200, 300 and 400 day weigh-in forms

Some of the additional reports are further explained below:

‘Selected Ram Details Report’ enables you to select the data say for a group of flock rams you have put together for a potential buyer. Select the ram number, and select the ‘Add Ram’ button and it will be added to the list, such as below. Keep adding each ram until all the client’s group is entered.

Then select the ‘View Report’ button, and a report will appear that can be printed out and taken down to the yards for the buyer to use when inspecting the selected rams. As many buyers want ‘first pick’, this eliminates taking all the records of all rams down to the yards, and buyers wanting to view data of rams not in the yards.

If you select the rams the day before the clients arrive, if you have say four clients arriving, staggered thoughout the day, print their reports out the night before and take them down to the yards with you.

 

‘Ram Details with Fat and Muscle Depth Report’

When the 200 Day weigh-in has taken place, this report captures the raw data, and can be generated and handed to the licenced measuring company to enable them to take it with them to generate their own reports for return to the producer, whilst enabling you to retain your own original muscle, fat depth and scrotal circumference data. (Licenced testers may prefer the data in spreadsheet form, and there is provision to export the data into Excel.).

 

However, at the conclusion of classing, if you email or post your data on a CD ROM to us, we can generate a report in wide paper format that caters for your needs, providing a complete paper record of all data for the year, and a history of progress over time that can be referred to many years on..1000 animals generates a continuous paper printout of about 50 pages, which can be placed in wide paper file covers, available from most computer material suppliers. One file can retain thousands of pages, and dividers are available to separate each year.

 

Invoices : On the main form click on Invoices>Generate Invoices. Enter the details of each client. Once entered, client information can be carried over to the next year. Click on Create Invoice, and you will have something like this:

When you have selected all the rams the client is purchasing and entered the prices etc, close this form.

Then go to Generate Invoice, and find the invoice template which should be located for example in C:\ProgramFiles\SheepTrack 2012\(Business name)Template01.doc. Select the invoice. We can tailor the invoice header to your own business name etc, or we can instruct you how to change the header yourself.

Then click on the Create Invoice button and it will bring up the invoice list. Select the appropriate invoice which you can print and hand to the client before leaving your property. (Invoice illustrated below.)

Don’t forget to remove the electronic tags from the rams before their departure so you can re-use the tags next year. Removing the tag is a very simple operation - done by cutting the button stem with a pair of electrical pliers.

This is just one reason for still using conventional tags as well as electronic tags, as the ram buyers then have the same tag numbers in the rams they have purchased as the numbers you have in your Data-based SheepTrack ™ database. This is useful in the case of a dispute later on, failure of a ram to perform etc. (More about this later). If you are selling your best rams at an auction sale, the conventional tags will identify each ram in the catalogue.