The Rural Voice, 2002-08, Page 25used for sorting the flock. With a
little bit of help the ewes can be
scanned and marked with a
permanent marking spray in the same
operation, he says.
O'Brien doesn't recommend
trying to do more than one job at a
time but she does suggest having
enough help on hand as one of her
protocols for the success. She also
says you should know the date of
ram entry and know the date of ram
removal from the flock. Aim to scan
between 70 and 90 days because too
much variation from the 78 -day ideal
(below 55 or above 100 days) can
jeopardize the effectiveness of the
scanning process. Book a technician
as early possible.
Have a good set-up with
throughput of more than 75
ewes per hour,- she suggests.
Provide some means for cleaning the
equipment.
That equipment is very
specialized and very expensive,
Hilderley says. A new version of his
British -made machine costs about
10,000£, about $23,000 Canadian.
Even repairs are expensive. He had to
get a probe repaired and it cost
$2,500, so "you have to be careful".
When the machine needs to be
serviced it has to go back to the
manufacturer in Scotland .
The machine is a heavy-duty
model designed specifically for the
purpose and it isn't easily portable
but it is tougher and does a much
better job than the smaller scanners
people tried to use previously.
Hilderley's model is the same
machine used in most operations in
New Zealand.
Despite the cost of machinery and
travel, a farmer with a flock of 30-
100 animals will pay only $1.50 to
$2.00 a head, plus gas mileage, he
says. Very small flocks might cost
more.
To help offset those mileage costs,
says Kathy Velocci of Greenock
Farms in Paisley, one of Hilderley's
customers, producers ina specific
area often get together to line up a
good deal of work within a short
distance of each other.
For Hilderley whose customers
generally come from a two-hour
driving time from his home on the
edge of Waterloo, travel expenses are
a big part of the business as he goes
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AUGUST 2002 21