New Zealand-based Perkinz has developed a new sheep race, the DrenchMaster, which aims to make sheep handling and treatment much easier. Designed with the help of sheep farmers, the product is already developing a reputation as a labour-saving device.
“No matter how technically advanced, expensive, versatile or downright pretty your sheep handler of choice is, they all have one thing in common: they are only any good if you can get the sheep to run through them,” Perkinz development manager Wayne Perkins said. “I remember working on a sheep conveyor in New Zealand and it was great once we actually had the sheep on it, but it was taking four of us to get them on.
“It was after this experience that we brought some farmers together to help design the DrenchMaster sheep handler. We wanted to provide all of the benefits of a sheep conveyor – speed, multiple jobs at a time and easier on your body – but without the expensive technology. We also wanted to avoid bringing in most of the district to help push the sheep through.”
Perkinz started with the age-old principle that sheep follow each other.
“We ran them through a sheep race which had the exit end off the ground,” Mr Perkins added. “We knew sheep liked walking up a slight incline, it also meant the operator didn’t need to bend down to save their backs. We designed a crush flap that moved with your body and lined it with our SheepFlow anti-backers to hold the sheep in position.
“We also put in a basic draft gate to allow the operator to take a sheep out there and then, without having to lift it over a fence or draft the whole mob again. This was a huge plus, especialy for mouthing and uddering. We added wheels and a removable drawbar so the neighbour could borrow it easily and finished it off with hot dip galvanising for a long life.”
 |
| The Perkinz DrenchMaster has a detachable drawbar to make it easy to move around. |
But does it work? Early adopters of the system include New Zealand sheep farmer Neil Gardyne from Gore. After putting more than 100,000 sheep through the DrenchMaster, he described it as the “Best labour-saving tool ever!”
Mr Perkins says the sheep handler seems to work best when placed at the end of a drafting race.
“I guess that’s because sheep have gone through the race so many times that once they have passed the draft gates they know they are free,” he said. “And as there is no air or electrics needed, it keeps the noise down which helps the sheep run as well.
“One of the most common comments we get when people see the DrenchMaster handler in action is that it’s so simple! That’s what we’ve worked hardest to achieve: a simple solution that does exactly what it’s supposed to do – with no fuss or complication.”
Perkins has already sold a number of its SheepFlow anti-backers in the UK and is keen to gauge reaction to the DrenchMaster to see if it (or a UK version of it would) would find a market here.
For more information visit: www.perkinz.co.nz.
