Scanning scam

[NZDan]

Recently got my scanning bill from new man,He charged me £1 for the first 50 and 60p for the remaining251.Some of my friends had a good laugh and swore to engage a scanner from outside Dumfriesshire! In future! so would you say he was trying it on?

If you're looking for a new scanner I'd be happy to scan your ewes for you next year.

 

[Bald n Grumpy]

If you're looking for a new scanner I'd be happy to scan your ewes for you next year.

Think you may have to pay for the privilege, sound's like they're very careful with money and if you don't need the money you don't need the work

 

[muleman]

Reminds me of a story a few years ago.
A fella in the village wanted a cow scanning.
He rang the sheep scanning fella who lives 10 miles away .
The scanning man landed over and scanned the cow and the farmer asked what he owed, he said a tenner would do, the farmer couldnt believe it, reached into his pocket and gave him a quid!

 

[Shann_mann]

My man comes for 40-50 pedigrees in late September and only bills me £35-£40. So I give him abit of cash on top.

 

[Mc115reed]

My scanner charges £35 setup fee, then 70p for the first 100 then 60p after that.. she marks them all herself and has a drafting gate on the front that will send singles 1 way twins another, triplets another also which is a real time saver for me…
She’s never got one wrong until this year when a lot were wrong tbf I scanned about 20% lower than what I actually lambed at which isn’t a bad problem to have but a lot of triplets out of twins that wanted more feed in them really… not sure why was so far out this year we scanned 3 weeks earlier too try and get a happy medium between the AI ewes and main batch so that might of been it, and we also scanned on a pretty lush field of grass where as last year they were on pretty bare grazing when we scanned so would of been empty

 

[neilo]

I’ve only ever had one scanner that charged anything other than 50p/hd. That was a guy that used to travel 40 miles to scan 120 pedigree ewes early in the season, to give a wet/dry scan at 45 days. As it wasn’t a ‘proper scan’, he refused to take more than 35p, but rescanned the in-lamb ones at 50p later on.

I’ve never been charged a minimum fee, or a set-up cost, but certainly wouldn’t object. We always have the sheep penned and ready, usually empty and under cover, with a handling system set up to keep them flowing as fast as the scanner requires.
I can quite imagine what they put up with on some places though.

 

[NZDan]

My scanner charges £35 setup fee, then 70p for the first 100 then 60p after that.. she marks them all herself and has a drafting gate on the front that will send singles 1 way twins another, triplets another also which is a real time saver for me…
She’s never got one wrong until this year when a lot were wrong tbf I scanned about 20% lower than what I actually lambed at which isn’t a bad problem to have but a lot of triplets out of twins that wanted more feed in them really… not sure why was so far out this year we scanned 3 weeks earlier too try and get a happy medium between the AI ewes and main batch so that might of been it, and we also scanned on a pretty lush field of grass where as last year they were on pretty bare grazing when we scanned so would of been empty

Not being empty would have been the issue.

 

[NZDan]

I’ve only ever had one scanner that charged anything other than 50p/hd. That was a guy that used to travel 40 miles to scan 120 pedigree ewes early in the season, to give a wet/dry scan at 45 days. As it wasn’t a ‘proper scan’, he refused to take more than 35p, but rescanned the in-lamb ones at 50p later on.

I’ve never been charged a minimum fee, or a set-up cost, but certainly wouldn’t object. We always have the sheep penned and ready, usually empty and under cover, with a handling system set up to keep them flowing as fast as the scanner requires.
I can quite imagine what they put up with on some places though.

It's 20 years since I only charged 50p per head

 

[neilo]

It's 20 years since I only charged 50p per head

You don’t scan in Wales do you? Lots of scanners (& sheep) about, most doing big numbers, but I don’t think any of them dare try to ask for more.

 

[hill farmer]

You don’t scan in Wales do you? Lots of scanners (& sheep) about, most doing big numbers, but I don’t think any of them dare try to ask for more.

50p is what we pay for about 700 to 750 .
We used to have a really good kiwi girl come over pre- covid, she'd be virtually 100% accurate. If she did about 720 say she'd round it down to 700, get through some numbers too, she'd do ours and a neighbours before lunch ( probably about 1000 ewes altogether)

 

[neilo]

The fella that’s scanned mine since I moved here 10 years ago, had his first mistake this year that I can recall. A ewe he scanned as a quad had five.

I’ll forgive him though as they were very small, and must have been hard to count.

To be fair, once they have a good round established, and can organise a day with minimal travelling time, the income is pretty damned good at 50p/hd.

 

[Sharpy]

The fella that’s scanned mine since I moved here 10 years ago, had his first mistake this year that I can recall. A ewe he scanned as a quad had five.

I’ll forgive him though as they were very small, and must have been hard to count.

To be fair, once they have a good round established, and can organise a day with minimal travelling time, the income is pretty damned good at 50p/hd.

For maybe 6 weeks if that?

 

[neilo]

For maybe 6 weeks if that?

Of course, but I don’t know any scanners that don’t run sheep farms of their own as well. It’s an extra income, not their only income.

Fair play to them though, they all put some serious hours in during the season, and a good job too.

 

[Jerry]

Of course, but I don’t know any scanners that don’t run sheep farms of their own as well. It’s an extra income, not their only income.

Fair play to them though, they all put some serious hours in during the season, and a good job too.

And often sat on a crap chair, in the mud, during a howling gale with hardly any cover, shoving their hand under a wet ewe who does not want to be in the scanning crate, and wanting to scan a ewe every 30 seconds.

Hats off to them.

 

[Mc115reed]

And often sat on a crap chair, in the mud, during a howling gale with hardly any cover, shoving their hand under a wet ewe who does not want to be in the scanning crate, and wanting to scan a ewe every 30 seconds.

Hats off to them.

Often think too myself why haven’t these people set themselves up better… Iv seen some terribly uncomfortable looking setups .. and some really comfortable looking setups neither looks that expensive really considering how much they use them I’d Definatly want comfort

 

[Wesley]

And often sat on a crap chair, in the mud, during a howling gale with hardly any cover, shoving their hand under a wet ewe who does not want to be in the scanning crate, and wanting to scan a ewe every 30 seconds.

Hats off to them.

So roughly £60/hr? With travelling & setup basically free. Surely by todays standards of some other trades that’s cheap considering the skill & cost of kit involved. No wonder some want more for smaller flock sizes

 

[neilo]

So roughly £60/hr? With travelling & setup basically free. Surely by todays standards of some other trades that’s cheap considering the skill & cost of kit involved. No wonder some want more for smaller flock sizes

I’ve never seen a scanner working that slowly tbh, unless held up by poor flow perhaps. 2-300/hr more likely, if the set up is right and sheep in one mob ready.
Time is lost moving between farms, setting up and having a chat of course.

 

[Highland Mule]

And often sat on a crap chair, in the mud, during a howling gale with hardly any cover, shoving their hand under a wet ewe who does not want to be in the scanning crate, and wanting to scan a ewe every 30 seconds.

Hats off to them.

You forgot the bit about being gassed by paint overspray.

 

[NZDan]

50p is what we pay for about 700 to 750 .
We used to have a really good kiwi girl come over pre- covid, she'd be virtually 100% accurate. If she did about 720 say she'd round it down to 700, get through some numbers too, she'd do ours and a neighbours before lunch ( probably about 1000 ewes altogether)

I know who you mean, she does a bit for me over here.

 

[NZDan]

I’ve never seen a scanner working that slowly tbh, unless held up by poor flow perhaps. 2-300/hr more likely, if the set up is right and sheep in one mob ready.
Time is lost moving between farms, setting up and having a chat of course.

And often sat on a crap chair, in the mud, during a howling gale with hardly any cover, shoving their hand under a wet ewe who does not want to be in the scanning crate, and wanting to scan a ewe every 30 seconds.

Hats off to them.

In 30 seconds i's have expected to scan 3 to 5 ewes depending on what sort of scan I'm doing.