LambPlus is the performance recording service provided by Sheep Ireland to all pedigree and commercial sheep farmers in Ireland.

LambPlus aims to collect as much performance information as possible for use in the Sheep Ireland genetic evaluations. LambPlus breeders collect a wide range of data on their flock right across the year. A full list and description of the traits collected can be found here. This handy timeline wall chart below guides you an keeps you on track of the information that needs to be collected at different stages of the year.

The timeline is based around the 365-day production cycle starting at day 0, which is the day of lambing.

All the data to be recorded at lambing is listed and a description of how to record certain traits is included at the bottom of the wall chart.

If you want to download the timeline chart to save or print it, click on the chart or here:

 Timeline Wall Chart

 

There are many benefits to being a LambPlus member, including:

  • Genetic evaluations (EuroStar Ratings) which are updated on a weekly basis
  • An online recording system which allows breeders to maintain and update their flock inventory, mating, lambing, health and weight records
  • Access to the FREE Sheep Ireland data recording App (More info here)
  • Recording notebooks to capture all necessary performance data
  • Online reports to monitor flock performance such as lambing and weight reports
  • An ultrasound scanning service which measures eye muscle and fat depth as well as a liveweight, at  approximately 140-150 days of age
  • Access to genomic testing for genomic evaluations, parentage verification and Department of Agriculture approved Scrapie certification. (More info here)
  • Inclusion in the Sheep Ireland Breeders directory (More info here)
  • Inclusion in an online Ram Search making your rams visible to Sheep farmers across Ireland
  • Access to performance recorded ram sales including the annual Sheep Ireland ram sale.
  • Genetic evaluations in Sales catalogues throughout the year.

LambPlus Reports and Services

As a LambPlus member, you receive a number of services and reports which are listed below.

How to join LambPlus

Existing LambPlus breeders can renew their LambPlus membership online.

Members of the breed societies of which Sheep Ireland hosts their flockbooks, can also sign up through their accounts by using the online application banner.

Pedigree breeders of the breed societies that we host and plan to join LambPlus, must have a membership with the society first, and they will set the account as a member of the relevant breed on the Sheep Ireland database.

For new members, who are commercial or hill farmers/breeders, and for breeders of the societies we don’t host, and want to do performance recording of the flock using LambPlus, you can contact us for creating an account (see contact details below).

Annual applications open in November, and signups closes in December.

New and existing LambPlus members can use the LambPlus User Guide to find answers to any issues you encounter or questions you may have.

Flock Recording Notebook

Apart from the LambPlus App and the Farmer Homepage – online services, breeders can do their data recordings using this printed Flock Notebook.

Afterwards, all the information will need to be loaded into the database.

For new LambPlus members or breeders that order them at the moment of signing in for the programme, we send a printed pocket version for manual recordings.

This book is provided to record information about the ewe and lamb(s) at lambing, weighing, health recording, mating and pregnancy scanning, including creating parentage information and recording some performance traits on the ewe and the lamb(s).

For downloading and printing the Flock Notebook, click on the icon:

We are here to help

You can contact a member of the Sheep Ireland’s team calling 023 882 0451, texting a WhatsApp to 083 2063734, or emailing [email protected].