What is the effective coverage area for a single device?
How much does the device weigh?
Can I fit this to a month-old lamb?
Will it have any adverse effects on small livestock?
Will it have any adverse behavioural effects on my herd?
Will it be effective against stray dogs that kill my sheep?
What guarantee do I have that the E-Shepherd collar will keep predators away from my sheep?
Can I dip my animals without removing the collars first?
How long will the battery last?
How do I know when to replace the battery?
E-Shepherd is an electronic system that was designed to deter predators from attacking small livestock.
The electronic control module fits into a collar that is placed around the animal's neck. The module monitors the animal's movement and compares this to a preprogrammed set of parameters. If the movement is outside of these parameters (e.g. the sheep is running) an ultrasound alarm is triggered and a set of LEDs will be activated. This will confuse the predator and the rhythm of attack will be broken.
What is the effective coverage area for a single device?
A single device will be ineffective against an attack, since you cannot guarantee that a specific animal will be targeted, or that this specific animal will start running. The protection of sheep lies in the fact that they flock together if threatened. The practical ratio for effective protection of the flock is 1 unit for every 10 sheep. Most farmers keep 150 to 300 animals in a camp as these amounts are fairly easy to manage. For effective coverage you will need 15 to 30 units for such a flock.
How much does the device weigh?
The total weight of the device is 200 grams.
Can I fit this to a month-old lamb?
You can fit this device to a lamb. However please bear in mind that interfering with a young lamb might cause the ewe to abandon her offspring. It is recommended that the device is fitted to the mother, who protects the lamb, or otherwise on lambs older than 6 months.
Will it have any adverse effects on small livestock?
The test team of Lifetime Designs went to great effort to ensure that the collar will not adversely affect the protected animals. Over the trial period of more than 8 months, the condition of the test and control animals was inspected on a monthly basis. The animals were visually inspected for bite marks and other physical injuries. They were weighed and compared. The collar-bearing animals gained on average more weight than the control group did.
Will it have any adverse behavioural effects on my herd?
No changes or different behavioural patterns were observed between the test and control groups.The effect of E-Shepherd has not been evaluated on working sheepdogs. Extensive tests were performed on domestic pets. Dogs do notice the activation of the collars and will move away after several activations. Even though they became agitated, it would appear to be more of a nuisance than anything else. One must consider that these collars were triggered in a city environment and that these dogs are used to man-made noises. Several breeds were observed and the reaction is basically the same over the entire spectrum.
Will it be effective against stray dogs that kill my sheep?
The efficacy of E-Shepherd has not been evaluated against stray dogs.
What guarantee do I have that the E-Shepherd collar will keep predators away from my sheep?
The Lifetime Design team has gone to great lengths to test the efficacy of the device but can only report on observations as they occurred. The test results over a period of 7 months indicate that the system was 100% effective in deterring predators from a flock of sheep.
Can I dip my animals without removing the collars first?
The collars are completely waterproof up to 3 meters and function will not be affected by rain or wet conditions. The collars are made from a material that allows for quick drying in order to prevent fungal infections from developing under the collar.
How long will the battery last?
The lifespan of the battery is directly related to the number of activations that set off the alarm. Thorough testing has shown that the battery will last from 16 to 19 months.No. The battery should be safely disposed of once it is empty. The unit can also be sent back to the manufacturer for a replacement of battery and general refurbishment at a minimal cost.
The two LEDs will start to blink every two minutes. The best time to observe this will be with low light, as the flashing can then be easily observed. The units will still function normally for at least two weeks after the battery indicator comes on, so you will have plenty of time to replace the battery.