Sheep Scanning

[farmer_Nick]

Anyone know of any sheep scanner that are like ultrasound type, that don't cost an arm and a leg, or any general purpose but mainly for sheep.thanks

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Anyone know of any sheep scanner that are like ultrasound type, that don't cost an arm and a leg, or any general purpose but mainly for sheep.thanks

Do you know how to use one?
Do you know how much they cost?
If you were thinking of DIY then get a contractor in.

 

[Longlowdog]

If you are thinking of scanning consider this. I asked a very competent scanner what it was like as a job. His reply was 'you spend 20 grand on a scanner and a trailer and spend your first 2 years dreading the phone ringing with folk complaining you got it wrong'. It doesn't matter what the weather does, how the sheep are looked after or not you get the blame, some folk complain if you are 1% out, others whose sheep looked crap when you scanned them blame you for every lamb unaccounted for. Then you get r.s.i in your wrist, bursas in your elbow, torn ligaments in your shoulder from repeating the same action 50,000 times a year and shoving belligerent sheep into place. You scan 10% of the time in a nice dry shed the rest is in a snow and wind blasted field corner, the sheep have full bellies and you're supposed to appear like the shop keeper in the Mr Benn cartoon when it suits the farmer and not when you can group folk together. You give a time and folk haven't got out of bed let alone rounded up the sheep. Folk knock off with 50 to go because '12 o'clock is lunch time' and you watch them enter the house and leave you outside. You breathe in the residue from hundreds of sheep spray markings every day.
A decent scanner is neck end of 15k new, trailer, training, travel, insurance and you have to be really into it before you start on that idea.
I'm sure there are mickey mouse scanners cheap on Ebay but a good one does half a million or more image cycles without any grief.

 

[yellowbelly]

^^^
What they said.

 

[Estate fencing.]

Well, that's put that idea of making easy money to bed.

 

[muleman]

It will be very good money but they definitely earn it sat out in the cold all winter.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

My scanner man had a good tale this year. He went to a farm to scan 400 sheep. Got to about 300 and the farmer said that's us done. Scanner man said I thought there were 400. Farmer thought for a while and then said oh we've forgotten about the one's in bottom pasture.

Scanner man said do you want to go and get them. Farmer said yes but we've let all the ones you've already scanned into that field

So they got them all back in and he had to go through the whole lot to scan the last 100

 

[unlacedgecko]

My scanner man had a good tale this year. He went to a farm to scan 400 sheep. Got to about 300 and the farmer said that's us done. Scanner man said I thought there were 400. Farmer thought for a while and then said oh we've forgotten about the one's in bottom pasture.

Scanner man said do you want to go and get them. Farmer said yes but we've let all the ones you've already scanned into that field

So they got them all back in and he had to go through the whole lot to scan the last 100

I'd have charged for 700!

 

[CopperBeech]

If you are thinking of scanning consider this. I asked a very competent scanner what it was like as a job. His reply was 'you spend 20 grand on a scanner and a trailer and spend your first 2 years dreading the phone ringing with folk complaining you got it wrong'. It doesn't matter what the weather does, how the sheep are looked after or not you get the blame, some folk complain if you are 1% out, others whose sheep looked crap when you scanned them blame you for every lamb unaccounted for. Then you get r.s.i in your wrist, bursas in your elbow, torn ligaments in your shoulder from repeating the same action 50,000 times a year and shoving belligerent sheep into place. You scan 10% of the time in a nice dry shed the rest is in a snow and wind blasted field corner, the sheep have full bellies and you're supposed to appear like the shop keeper in the Mr Benn cartoon when it suits the farmer and not when you can group folk together. You give a time and folk haven't got out of bed let alone rounded up the sheep. Folk knock off with 50 to go because '12 o'clock is lunch time' and you watch them enter the house and leave you outside. You breathe in the residue from hundreds of sheep spray markings every day.
A decent scanner is neck end of 15k new, trailer, training, travel, insurance and you have to be really into it before you start on that idea.
I'm sure there are mickey mouse scanners cheap on Ebay but a good one does half a million or more image cycles without any grief.

Great post! Do people really go into the house for lunch and leave contractors outside ? Jeez! Anyone working here gets treated well, food, drinks, snacks and beers after if they are so inclined!

 

[unlacedgecko]

Great post! Do people really go into the house for lunch and leave contractors outside ? Jeez! Anyone working here gets treated well, food, drinks, snacks and beers after if they are so inclined!

Same here. BBQ chippy or pizza and beers galore.

 

[CopperBeech]

Same here. BBQ chippy or pizza and beers galore.

Yep, and I’d imagine that’s why folk come back.

The Mrs even brings bacon sandwiches, cakes, drinks etc out to the lads who come here digging. The first time she rocked up with a picnic they looked a bit weirded out

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Great post! Do people really go into the house for lunch and leave contractors outside ? Jeez! Anyone working here gets treated well, food, drinks, snacks and beers after if they are so inclined!

Same here but you’re unlikely too find beer here! Pretty much teetotal house! If I remember I ask the Mrs too get a few cans in the fridge beforehand for the lads

 

[CopperBeech]

Same here but you’re unlikely too find beer here! Pretty much teetotal house! If I remember I ask the Mrs too get a few cans in the fridge beforehand for the lads

We are lucky, there’s a pub with a nice garden in the middle of the farm also always got a stock of beers, ciders, wines and spirits, you never know who might drop by!

 

[Longlowdog]

I've heard 'you'll be alright mate, you've got a flask yeah, see you in a while' countless times. I always feed and water anyone who comes on to my place and ensure that the hours they bill for includes lunch and coffee/fag breaks that I call as and when I want them. Having been on the flip side makes me acutely aware of what it's like to thirsty/hungry/ sore and be treated like the dog.

 

[unlacedgecko]

I've heard 'you'll be alright mate, you've got a flask yeah, see you in a while' countless times. I always feed and water anyone who comes on to my place and ensure that the hours they bill for includes lunch and coffee/fag breaks that I call as and when I want them. Having been on the flip side makes me acutely aware of what it's like to thirsty/hungry/ sore and be treated like the dog.

It’s in my contracting terms and conditions I get provided with 3 meals a day. If I went somewhere and they didn’t invite me in the house I wouldn’t go back!

 

[Al R]

Same here but you’re unlikely too find beer here! Pretty much teetotal house! If I remember I ask the Mrs too get a few cans in the fridge beforehand for the lads

Same, had to find anything yesterday after shearing which was some gin’s and lemonade, must be years since I bought a beer..
Scanner always gets coffee break and a hot dinner when here.
Shearers get coffee break, usually bacon/sausage baps then a break later on where they can have whatever they want.
It disappoints me how some staff are treated, all staff here have the option of coming in, every so often food will be provided. I know of countless people who have their breaks in the car by themselves

 

[scottish-lleyn]

Same, had to find anything yesterday after shearing which was some gin’s and lemonade, must be years since I bought a beer..
Scanner always gets coffee break and a hot dinner when here.
Shearers get coffee break, usually bacon/sausage baps then a break later on where they can have whatever they want.
It disappoints me how some staff are treated, all staff here have the option of coming in, every so often food will be provided. I know of countless people who have their breaks in the car by themselves

Aye same, if anybodys working here they get fed and watered with the rest of us, we dont like to stop to often when shearing but its nice to get offered a coffee or a biscuits even if you dont take it a couple of places we go give us a full sit down lunch for an hour at midday its a curse really havingto bend to shear sheep after a 3 courser but i would never turn it down.

 

[Mc115reed]

If you are thinking of scanning consider this. I asked a very competent scanner what it was like as a job. His reply was 'you spend 20 grand on a scanner and a trailer and spend your first 2 years dreading the phone ringing with folk complaining you got it wrong'. It doesn't matter what the weather does, how the sheep are looked after or not you get the blame, some folk complain if you are 1% out, others whose sheep looked crap when you scanned them blame you for every lamb unaccounted for. Then you get r.s.i in your wrist, bursas in your elbow, torn ligaments in your shoulder from repeating the same action 50,000 times a year and shoving belligerent sheep into place. You scan 10% of the time in a nice dry shed the rest is in a snow and wind blasted field corner, the sheep have full bellies and you're supposed to appear like the shop keeper in the Mr Benn cartoon when it suits the farmer and not when you can group folk together. You give a time and folk haven't got out of bed let alone rounded up the sheep. Folk knock off with 50 to go because '12 o'clock is lunch time' and you watch them enter the house and leave you outside. You breathe in the residue from hundreds of sheep spray markings every day.
A decent scanner is neck end of 15k new, trailer, training, travel, insurance and you have to be really into it before you start on that idea.
I'm sure there are mickey mouse scanners cheap on Ebay but a good one does half a million or more image cycles without any grief.

It really is one of the most impossible industries too get in... not many farmers would risk next years lamb crop on a lad who’s in they’re first year... I know I’d not book somebody if I knew it was there first year doing it too much risk for me I’m afraid... it’s one of those jobs you can only really get into if somebody is giving up and they train you up for it

 

[hill shepherd]

Its shocking how some people treat staff and contractors. We have students for lambing time who live in with us for 3 weeks and are treat like one of the family but one poor girl turned up this year with bags of food because she'd heard some horror tales of how some students had been treated and not allowed to eat with the family, another time a lads dad turned up a couple of months after his son had been here and thanked us for treating his soon well. We didn't think we'd done anything that any other decent person wouldn't have done but apparently the lads dad had been treated terribly on his work placement

 

[Al R]

Its shocking how some people treat staff and contractors. We have students for lambing time who live in with us for 3 weeks and are treat like one of the family but one poor girl turned up this year with bags of food because she'd heard some horror tales of how some students had been treated and not allowed to eat with the family, another time a lads dad turned up a couple of months after his son had been here and thanked us for treating his soon well. We didn't think we'd done anything that any other decent person wouldn't have done but apparently the lads dad had been treated terribly on his work placement

It’s usually the non farming background students/helpers that get treated worst from what students have told me the horror stories of where their friends are etc.