The New Breeder Alert System
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Becky
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I know Joanne, Pacific Pintos, has the new system. Perhaps she will come on in a bit and relate her experience.
I've heard through others that it may be overly sensitive, but I have no personal experience.
I've heard through others that it may be overly sensitive, but I have no personal experience.
Julie/Azariah
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I have the new system. My old system was getting to the point where it was a bit unpredictable... CAN'T HAVE THAT!
I really like the new system. you can have up to 3-4 barns and up to 20 horses in each barn. The pager tells you which barn and which horses then I know what camera to check.
Though it is VERY sensitive, I would much rather have that than possibly missing one.
I have had a few mares set it off when aggressively scratching their neck with their head tilted. What harm is it to just look at them and smile that they are ok in their stall???
I have several mares that lay down for hours most of the night, going from sternal to flat out 4-5 times each "nap" . Even if there were some way to turn it off of sensitivity for that whole nap session I don't think I would use it... who is to say that that mare might just be comfortable for those few min and then foaling 1/2 hr later.
I also had to vet wrap the holder to the halter because the snaps came undone and transmitter came off. Since I have put the vet wrap on all pagers have stayed.
I have also found that the halter fit and the bottom ring configuration have something to do with the sensitivity. So I have made halter adjustments.
All in all, I am pleased.
I really like the new system. you can have up to 3-4 barns and up to 20 horses in each barn. The pager tells you which barn and which horses then I know what camera to check.
Though it is VERY sensitive, I would much rather have that than possibly missing one.
I have had a few mares set it off when aggressively scratching their neck with their head tilted. What harm is it to just look at them and smile that they are ok in their stall???
I have several mares that lay down for hours most of the night, going from sternal to flat out 4-5 times each "nap" . Even if there were some way to turn it off of sensitivity for that whole nap session I don't think I would use it... who is to say that that mare might just be comfortable for those few min and then foaling 1/2 hr later.
I also had to vet wrap the holder to the halter because the snaps came undone and transmitter came off. Since I have put the vet wrap on all pagers have stayed.
I have also found that the halter fit and the bottom ring configuration have something to do with the sensitivity. So I have made halter adjustments.
All in all, I am pleased.
uwharrie
Well-Known Member
Julie, do you just keep reseting the pager for the mares that lay flat out? I did not get a second transmitter because one mare loves to lay flat out. I figured the pager would drive me nuts. ( can't imagine what the dialer would do)
Ellen
Well-Known Member
I was wondering how far it transmitted? I want the new one. Don't have it yet, but the old one I didn't get because the pager only transferred 2 miles. I live in the stix, If i go to the neighbors it maybe that far.
SBrown
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The information on the Breeder Alert website says...... "Main Unit then sends signal to Pocket Pager (up to 1+ miles)"
Sharman
Julie/Azariah
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Yes... I just keep hitting the reset button when my mare keeps laying flat and going sternal.... sometimes during one hour may have to reset 4-5 times. Does get annoying...but one year with my other system I took the box off the mare for 1/2 hour WHILE I was IN the barn and that little mare foaled. Thank goodness I was checking her. Looked in just when the foal was being pushed out.
So.... though it IS a pain and I don't get much sleep. I just keep it on the mare and keep resetting. Far worth my lack of sleep to make sure I catch the foaling. IMO
The pager reaches 1+ miles.... BUT... it also has the calling feature. You can put up to 4-6 (I forget and don't have my book here) phone numbers in for it to dial. If you don't reset the pager after so many tries it will try the phone numbers in order that you put them in....It will try each number a few times then go on to the next one.
I think it is an awesome feature. Though, I don't use it right now because I always have someone here.
So.... though it IS a pain and I don't get much sleep. I just keep it on the mare and keep resetting. Far worth my lack of sleep to make sure I catch the foaling. IMO
The pager reaches 1+ miles.... BUT... it also has the calling feature. You can put up to 4-6 (I forget and don't have my book here) phone numbers in for it to dial. If you don't reset the pager after so many tries it will try the phone numbers in order that you put them in....It will try each number a few times then go on to the next one.
I think it is an awesome feature. Though, I don't use it right now because I always have someone here.
Julie/Azariah
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Just a little note...
Read the topic below titled "Lost a Foal today" by Wild Oak added March 16 I believe.
Their first post is WHY I keep resetting mine! I am NOT taking any chances!!
Read the topic below titled "Lost a Foal today" by Wild Oak added March 16 I believe.
Their first post is WHY I keep resetting mine! I am NOT taking any chances!!
Reble
Well-Known Member
I do not have the New breeder Alert System, but so glad we have the foal buzzer and camera.
Last night around 4:30 a.m. I heard a weird noise like horses stampeding, and the mares buzzer was going off, check the camera and seen my 4 mares just circling, like in a panic.
Woke up hubby and turned the volume up, we could hear a funny noise, like growling, hard to explain, not a dog sounds thou, outside the calf hut, which is where the mares can go in and out.
So hubby jumped up and went out and I kept watching the camera.
Nothing was out there, but mares standing looking out the opening. He than heard a fight over at the neighbors house, walk out to the front and seen a coyote or fox, hard to see in the dark, yelled get out of here all mares came running out, as to protect him.
Well, got the mares locked in and kept watching and listening the rest of the night.
So glad we had the camera and foal buzzer on. Never seen the horses circling the way they did, hubby said nature's way of protecting each other?
Last night around 4:30 a.m. I heard a weird noise like horses stampeding, and the mares buzzer was going off, check the camera and seen my 4 mares just circling, like in a panic.
Woke up hubby and turned the volume up, we could hear a funny noise, like growling, hard to explain, not a dog sounds thou, outside the calf hut, which is where the mares can go in and out.
So hubby jumped up and went out and I kept watching the camera.
Nothing was out there, but mares standing looking out the opening. He than heard a fight over at the neighbors house, walk out to the front and seen a coyote or fox, hard to see in the dark, yelled get out of here all mares came running out, as to protect him.
Well, got the mares locked in and kept watching and listening the rest of the night.
So glad we had the camera and foal buzzer on. Never seen the horses circling the way they did, hubby said nature's way of protecting each other?
Joanne
Well-Known Member
I have and LOVE the new 2010 Breeder Alert!
Here are some answers to the questions raised.
The BEST halter is one that is not adjustable on the noseband. The throat latch portion is fixed on the ring and does not move back and forth, which could cause false alarms. You will have few or no false pagings that way. Yes, occaisionally if your horse has her head in a horizontal position to scratch her ear or head it will go off. No biggy. You reset and you are back in buisness. I can live with that.
I have not had the new case come off the halter so far and I am on my second mare. Once it is clicked in correctly it has held for me.
The halter alarms are individually numbered now. So if you have more than one mare with them on, and more than one location that they are in, you know immediatly which way to run when the pager goes off. The pagers have a screen that lists the barn number and the mare number when the pager goes off. This is a new feature. I have two sides of my mare barn so this maybe an important feature as things get more hectic here.
The new halter alarm is incredibly light compared to the old ones, and the mares seem more comfortable when they have them on 24/7 for many days.
We have a 37 acre ranch with many trees.The pagers work everywhere on the property. The old sytem had an antenna on the barn roof. The new antenna is tiny and right in the barn. Better coverage, smaller footprint. Someone is always on the property when a mare is due, so leaving is not something we deal with. If we have to be called, we are too far away. JMHO. I can see the value of the unit calling my cell phone or my husband's if one of us does not have a pager on.
There is a Panic Button which is new as well. If you are in the barn and you see the mare is in trouble, you can hit the panic button and whomever has a pager or a programmed phone number in the system will be paged immediatly. So, for instance, if you mare is standing up to foal (it happens) or you need extra hands, you can hit the Panic Button and get people to help you. Great new feature!
My first mare, Tivoli, lays down FLAT at night to sleep for the days leading up to her birth, and this was a great test for this new system to start my year. If you have the correct halter (discussed above) then all you do is click the pager button twice and it resets. When she gets up and lays down FLAT again it will go off again. Perfect! I cannot tell you how many times with my old system I tried to keep my eyes open long enough for her to wake up and be able to reset the pager. This new feature alone is worth the price.
The new system is less than half what I paid for the old system. Many new important features and more for less. Again....perfect!
The makers of Breeder Alert did extensive testing and listened to what their clients reviews were before releasing this new unit. I so depend on these systems that I was thrilled to know the manufacturers were not beta testing these units with me. We chose to wall mount our unit to keep it safe and out of the way. But you can place it on a horizontal surface if you choose.
Any other questions?????? Fire away or PM. I would be happy to help you. And NOPE I DO NOT sell these units. But I am an enthusiastic user! I cannot count the number of foals I have saved by being there in the last 17 years thanks to the Breeder Alerts, both the old ones and the new one.
The black rectangle above is the halter alarm, the white one is the pager.
Thankfully we had it when this 13 pounder was born. I do not think he would have been able to get out of the sac with out my help.
Here are some answers to the questions raised.
The BEST halter is one that is not adjustable on the noseband. The throat latch portion is fixed on the ring and does not move back and forth, which could cause false alarms. You will have few or no false pagings that way. Yes, occaisionally if your horse has her head in a horizontal position to scratch her ear or head it will go off. No biggy. You reset and you are back in buisness. I can live with that.
I have not had the new case come off the halter so far and I am on my second mare. Once it is clicked in correctly it has held for me.
The halter alarms are individually numbered now. So if you have more than one mare with them on, and more than one location that they are in, you know immediatly which way to run when the pager goes off. The pagers have a screen that lists the barn number and the mare number when the pager goes off. This is a new feature. I have two sides of my mare barn so this maybe an important feature as things get more hectic here.
The new halter alarm is incredibly light compared to the old ones, and the mares seem more comfortable when they have them on 24/7 for many days.
We have a 37 acre ranch with many trees.The pagers work everywhere on the property. The old sytem had an antenna on the barn roof. The new antenna is tiny and right in the barn. Better coverage, smaller footprint. Someone is always on the property when a mare is due, so leaving is not something we deal with. If we have to be called, we are too far away. JMHO. I can see the value of the unit calling my cell phone or my husband's if one of us does not have a pager on.
There is a Panic Button which is new as well. If you are in the barn and you see the mare is in trouble, you can hit the panic button and whomever has a pager or a programmed phone number in the system will be paged immediatly. So, for instance, if you mare is standing up to foal (it happens) or you need extra hands, you can hit the Panic Button and get people to help you. Great new feature!
My first mare, Tivoli, lays down FLAT at night to sleep for the days leading up to her birth, and this was a great test for this new system to start my year. If you have the correct halter (discussed above) then all you do is click the pager button twice and it resets. When she gets up and lays down FLAT again it will go off again. Perfect! I cannot tell you how many times with my old system I tried to keep my eyes open long enough for her to wake up and be able to reset the pager. This new feature alone is worth the price.
The new system is less than half what I paid for the old system. Many new important features and more for less. Again....perfect!
The makers of Breeder Alert did extensive testing and listened to what their clients reviews were before releasing this new unit. I so depend on these systems that I was thrilled to know the manufacturers were not beta testing these units with me. We chose to wall mount our unit to keep it safe and out of the way. But you can place it on a horizontal surface if you choose.
Any other questions?????? Fire away or PM. I would be happy to help you. And NOPE I DO NOT sell these units. But I am an enthusiastic user! I cannot count the number of foals I have saved by being there in the last 17 years thanks to the Breeder Alerts, both the old ones and the new one.
The black rectangle above is the halter alarm, the white one is the pager.
Thankfully we had it when this 13 pounder was born. I do not think he would have been able to get out of the sac with out my help.
Julie/Azariah
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Yes Joanne, that is the kind of halter that I found works, just didn't quite know how to describe the fixed ring.
I made sure the snaps were secure. (double and triple checked) But I had 2 mares that must have scratched their head/neck on the water bucket and got them off.
I have just put a thin piece of vet wrap around the transmitter pouch to secure it and no more problems.
I LOVE the system.
I have to re-read the instruction manual about what you said about double hitting the pager button about the re-set. I just hit it once and it re-sets??? Am I doing that wrong???
I have not had it falsely go off much at all. Just have a few mares that lay down a lot and go sternal and flat quite a few times in one nap.
It is a pain... but would much rather have them wake me up a few times and not miss a foaling!!!!!
I also LOVE all of the new features.
Definitely was well thought out. Priceless in my opinion!
I made sure the snaps were secure. (double and triple checked) But I had 2 mares that must have scratched their head/neck on the water bucket and got them off.
I have just put a thin piece of vet wrap around the transmitter pouch to secure it and no more problems.
I LOVE the system.
I have to re-read the instruction manual about what you said about double hitting the pager button about the re-set. I just hit it once and it re-sets??? Am I doing that wrong???
I have not had it falsely go off much at all. Just have a few mares that lay down a lot and go sternal and flat quite a few times in one nap.
It is a pain... but would much rather have them wake me up a few times and not miss a foaling!!!!!
I also LOVE all of the new features.
Definitely was well thought out. Priceless in my opinion!
Joanne
Well-Known Member
If you are just doing a normal reset like they scratched their head and set it off, you just click it once.
If they are laying flat when they are sleeping and you click it once, the pager will go off again. If you click it a second time it will stay reset until she gets up and lays flat again. Just make sure she is not foaling
uwharrie
Well-Known Member
They do reset pretty easily, Annie tends to lay flat out off and on all night. I think it went off about 5 times between 10-6
UGH, I think hubby and I might better switch off nights monotoring.
UGH, I think hubby and I might better switch off nights monotoring.
Joanne
Well-Known Member
I will take being woken too often to a dead foal anyday.
It is just to long to wait and then loose it.
By far, most of my mares only trigger the alarm when they are actually foaling.
Thank goodness!
It is just to long to wait and then loose it.
By far, most of my mares only trigger the alarm when they are actually foaling.
Thank goodness!
