There’s a huge range of data recording within the sheep industry. From nothing at all to identifying genetic markers within the DNA of sheep. And each of them is valid across the tens of thousands of properties that make up the New Zealand and Australian sheep industry … so long as those methods are serving the business well and the sheep are making you money. 

However, I’ve seen my fair share of farms where that isn’t always the case. From being burdened by footrot, to drench resistance or lambs not finishing in time, there always seems to be room for improvement. And, thanks to science and technology, we have the tools to make it happen.

I have noticed recently that there has been an uptake in rams bought using estimated breeding values (EBVs), which is fantastic. However, buying rams with great data will only take you so far if they are being put over unknown, unrecorded ewes. The distribution of good and poor genetics within a standard, unrecorded ewe flock is pretty broad, and this range in ewe performance can limit the full potential of any genetic progress. It’s like running a relay race with one professional athlete and 3 random strangers. Sure, you’ll cross the finish line, but in what place? To get that gold, you need athletes competing with athletes. 

So, how do you know if you’ve got athletes within your flock? That’s where individual animal IDs come in. There are two ways to do this. The first is visual tags. These are good at identifying individual sheep and cheaper than EID tags. However, you need to record the information somewhere, and there are limitations to manual records (human error, time and labour, etc). The second option is, of course, EID tags. Many people are put off by the cost of EID, but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune all at once. You can start by investing in a small number of tags, then a wand and use a simple Excel spreadsheet to begin with. If you’re not sure how to set up a wand, we can help with that. Once you have a wand, you are ready to fly. 

Traits you can measure and record

Below is a list of phenotypic data you can record on an individual EID tag with the use of a wand (or record manually with a visual tag):

That’s a pretty comprehensive list of traits you can measure. If I went through the benefits and impacts of each, we’d be here all day. But if you want to learn more about what each trait means and why it matters, check out the Ram Buying Guide on our resources page. While the guide is referencing ram selection, the same traits apply to your ewes too, making it a handy reference no matter what side of the mating equation you are focused on. 

Now that you have a better idea of what traits to look out for, here are some commonly asked questions about implementing tagging and data recording. If I haven’t answered your question, let me know in the comments on The Hub. 

Who should I tag first?

It is unrealistic for many businesses to go out and tag every ewe and lamb on the property, and the decision about who/where to start tagging can be overwhelming. The key is to start where you’ll get the most return on investment - by tagging your highest value sheep. 

If you intend to record pedigree, you’ll have to tag both lambs and ewes. I suggest tagging twin-scanning young ewes that have all of the visual traits you want in a sheep.

If you are not recording pedigree, start by tagging lambs at docking (tailing/marking). By tagging at docking, you can keep track of their lambing paddock, potential dam age and whether they are twin- or single-born. While many operations lamb ewes in age groups and litter sizes, they box mobs up after docking and lose this valuable information if it’s not recorded. 

If you aren’t tagging all lambs, try to tag ones from ewes that should have the highest genetic potential, eg your young ewes and/or your twin-bearing ewes: 

• Selecting genetics from your younger ewes should, hypothetically, give you the best genetics if you have consistently been purchasing better and better rams. 
• Marking the twin-born lambs differently will help you identify them when you’re selecting replacements. Knowing if a lamb was twin- or single-born is one of the most important pieces of information, as it gives you a better picture of the animal when you’re selecting replacements. 
• Lambs that are born out of hoggets and/or are twin-born can often be smaller and have coarser wool and are often not chosen as keepers, however, these are some of your most profitable genetics.

When deciding how many lambs to tag, start by thinking about how many ewe lambs you’ll need as replacements. To make selection decisions based on recorded data, you’ll need to tag enough lambs to ensure you’ve got a big enough pool of tagged options to choose from.

Do I need to know an animal's pedigree to get the benefits of EID?

No, you don’t. Whilst pedigree information will drive genetic gain even faster, there are still benefits to be gained by recording non-pedigree information. All of the data above is phenotypic information, and this can be used to improve farm performance. 

Collecting pedigree information can be costly. Both tagging at birth and DNA testing cost money and time, and I would consider it the next step in data recording - one requiring a whole other article!

Which traits should I record?

You know your farm best. Deciding what data to record should be a deliberate choice, both genetically and financially.

You should start by building a genetic plan to work out which traits actually matter to your business. There’s no point in recording data you won’t use. Luckily for you, we have a resource for that. Visit our resources page and download Your Genetic Plan. It is a step-by-step guide to building a genetic plan that helps you identify which traits are important to your business.

Once you have a clear understanding of your breeding objectives and which traits can help you get there, you can then start recording data. I recommend starting small. Many of the traits on the ‘Just the tag and your time’ list require just your eyes and a pen/paper or wand. Things like body condition score, dag, tail length, urine stain, structure, clean points and shedding are all 1-5 scales and can be done at the same time as other routine jobs. 

What do I do with all the data?

Well, either you’re comfortable with a spreadsheet and can keep track of it all and notice any potential trends, you can learn to be comfortable with a spreadsheet, or you can come talk to us. A benefit of individually identifying animals is that you can play around with your management better. 

Try single-sire mating two groups of ewes to two of your best rams and keep them separate at lambing until weaning. You can identify these ewes with raddle or a coloured tag. It is always interesting to follow two different sire groups and see the similarities within and the differences between the two groups. This gives you a great picture of the benefits of genetic gain. You can also tag the offspring to continue following their progress.

Or by recording scanning percentage and a few BCS records at key points throughout the year, you can quickly identify the ewes that stay fat and scan high each year, or the skinny ones that scan low. Or, if you weigh animals, you can track potential replacement ewe lambs' weights to see who is growing fastest. And, if you record dag score, you can select ones that never got dags, too. 

If you’d like to know more about how we can help with this, have a chat with Jane Mulholland about our ‘Digital Shepherd’ service.

Small steps towards smarter sheep breeding

So, if you’re ready to start recording, remember you don’t have to do it all at once, and you definitely don’t need the flashiest setup from day one. But if you want better sheep and a more profitable business, knowing which animals are pulling their weight (and which ones aren’t!) is a pretty good place to start.

And it’s not about recording for recording’s sake. It’s about giving yourself the tools to make better decisions. Whether it’s spotting your top performers, identifying freeloaders, or fine-tuning your breeding program, individual ID gives you the ability to do something. 

Start simple. Be consistent. And if you need a hand, you know where to find us.

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Join the conversation on The Hub

Take a moment to head over to the neXtgen Agri Hub to share your thoughts and questions. What is the first trait you’d like to start recording? Or, if you’re already recording performance data, what traits did you start with, and how did you go about it?