Scanning Accuracy
- Thread starter Jerry
- Start date
- Location
- Ceredigion, wales
I think they all miss a few triplets.
- Location
- Devon
Usually miss a couple of triplets here out of 5-600 ewes.
Yours sounds plenty high enough %age Jerry. Did you scan a bit late?
Yours sounds plenty high enough %age Jerry. Did you scan a bit late?
No. Scanned at optimum time according to him and dates prooved by actual day I started.
- Location
- sw scotland
I cannot remember the last time triplets came out of a ewe scanned for twins. That would be around 3000 scanned in total. Maybe one a year has a single but scanned for twins.
Downtrodden Dad
Member
- Location
- Cumbria
Very odd one wrong each year often if you think its wrong a dead lamb is found in the straw or a reabsorbed thing in the cleansing. When I look at the screen whilst scanning I can't believe he gets any right.
polk_farmer
Member
- Location
- South West (Gods Country)
We had some scanned a few years ago, scanned them at 205% and lambed at over 230%. Funny enough we didn't use him again.
- Location
- Leicestershire
I had a scanner the year before last. At least one in ten were wrong. Never asked her back.
- Location
- West Wales
- Location
- Ceredigion, wales
Our scanner, a good friend from yfc days, always said when we had Welsh ewes that he wasn't looking for triplets but he'd mention it if he happened to notice one. The reason being that so few welsh ewes had triplets back then, it wasn't worth wasting time looking for the third lamb. In mules or lleyns etc there was a strong likelihood of triplets so he'd have to double check every ewe.
- Location
- Romney Marsh
Scanned on time, our scanner Glyn Davies, gets about one wrong per thousand. 
Some we scan late.......as in a week or two before lambing.......and a few have triplets that maybe scanned as twins. I let him off those........but I do ring him for a bit of banter to remind him how inaccurate he is !
No point scanning unless its accurate.
Some we scan late.......as in a week or two before lambing.......and a few have triplets that maybe scanned as twins. I let him off those........but I do ring him for a bit of banter to remind him how inaccurate he is !
No point scanning unless its accurate.
- Location
- West Wales
Yeah I remember ewes like that. Bought 300 broker Glamorgans this year, 140%? . Not bad considering how poor condition they were when they arrived and the Rams were in the field waiting when we bought them.. 14 empty, 4 triplets, 140singles and 130 twins. They come home on Thursday for sorting before being sent back out to new land. Haven't done brokers or unknown breeding for 15 years so could be fun!
johnflimston
Member
- Location
- Glamorgan, Wales
You'd probably find a mummified dead one in the placenta if you looked.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
The reason I no longer pull trips out from the twins (all on roots only over winter and up until lambing), was when a ram customer that had been outdoor lambing posed a question. He asked 'how many times do you get the odd triplet scanned, and fed for, twins'? And, 'are they any worse for it'?
In reality, no they're not. Our trips now get pulled out when I sort them into lambing paddocks (the day before they start very often
). Admittedly they go into a better paddock that day, but I can't remember the last case of TLD in that flock, or any particularly small lambs either. I'm convinced sheep on a forage diet will eat more if they need more, whereas concentrate fed sheep have whatever allocation you choose to give them. I can't think of any other explanation for the trip performance above.
- Location
- West Wales
Funny you should say this, had quite a few triplets go down with TLD but none of the twins on roots went down or did the twins on 1lb a day mind.. putting the twins on grass 3/4 weeks before seems to fatten them up mind. Dad didn't want to change their diet to close to lambing like you do and for them to settle in their fields/flocks a few weeks before he reckons does them good, plus they seem to prefer lush grass and milk well in previous years. If the lambs are of good size and plenty of milk I think we might turnip/green crop all the twins next year and maybe triplets?The reason I no longer pull trips out from the twins (all on roots only over winter and up until lambing), was when a ram customer that had been outdoor lambing posed a question. He asked 'how many times do you get the odd triplet scanned, and fed for, twins'? And, 'are they any worse for it'?
In reality, no they're not. Our trips now get pulled out when I sort them into lambing paddocks (the day before they start very often
The scan technology can be 100% accurate but it's up to the scanner operator to read it so human error will make some mistakes.
Usually a triplet missed would be the mistake. If the are less lambs than scanned there is a chance it could be re absorbed, i see quite a few dodgy lambs through a season, some farmers mark them some don't care. Also possible a mistake is made with the painting.
How the sheep are presented also makes a difference, scan timing, belly fill, muddy bellies, tups left in for 3 months, neighbours tup in month early etc etc.
Speak to your scanner about what they want and prefer, i personally do not like scanning ewes really full of silage but with rough weather some don't like to take them off it, if they're really full the triplets get harder. Some sheep can just be bad to scan, one batch I've done for years are always horrible to do and i cant figure out why!
Busy season for most scanners so talk to them about what they want to get the best results and if there is a problem with accuracy talk to them again. That's what I'd want anyway.
Usually a triplet missed would be the mistake. If the are less lambs than scanned there is a chance it could be re absorbed, i see quite a few dodgy lambs through a season, some farmers mark them some don't care. Also possible a mistake is made with the painting.
How the sheep are presented also makes a difference, scan timing, belly fill, muddy bellies, tups left in for 3 months, neighbours tup in month early etc etc.
Speak to your scanner about what they want and prefer, i personally do not like scanning ewes really full of silage but with rough weather some don't like to take them off it, if they're really full the triplets get harder. Some sheep can just be bad to scan, one batch I've done for years are always horrible to do and i cant figure out why!
Busy season for most scanners so talk to them about what they want to get the best results and if there is a problem with accuracy talk to them again. That's what I'd want anyway.