If you’ve been a long-time reader, you would know that I recommend the Tags4All RFID reader for any startup farm. This is still true. It has its limits but it’s very functional for the price tag. We did opt to make an upgrade this past summer to the Tru-Test XRS2. I wanted something that could record information right in the barn. I never take my phone with me and while I do have a tablet for the barn, I wanted something more rugged and portable.
I looked at a range of models. Since my herd management program is AgSights bioTrack, I needed a reader that works that. I have considered other management programs (EweManage and Flockwatch) but neither will work with my desktop. TruTest technology is versatile because if I change my mind, it will work with other programs. They also offer a range of compatible scales for future upgrades.
Purchasing
I got the stick from Ukal Canada. They were great and had the most competitive pricing. I had several questions and while it was 2022 and shipping delays happened, they kept in touch so I knew what was happening. Prices have increased since I got mine, at the moment the model I got is retailing for around $3,170. It’s definitely not cheap and likely not suitable for smaller flocks. We are scanning and recording information for roughly 100 lambs every other week.
Features
The stick reader has a T9 pad that allows for the entry of information right after you scan the animal’s identification tag. There are 15 custom fields that you can set up to record whatever information you deem important in your operation. The fields can be set for one-time recording or lifetime recording. Birthdates and litter size are lifetime information for me, so once entered, if that lamb is scanned again, its birthdate always shows up right away. Weight is a one-time entry as it changes every time.
You can set favourite lists and have quick menus. As an example, I have mine set that number of lambs born is matched to the numeral. So if you press “1” it will say “single” and so on. This is handy for other items as well, like scanning results, I set “1” for bred and “2” for open which makes entry really fast.
It has a large memory for 1 million tags and includes the RFID and a visual ID field. I use this field to enter the herd management number if the ewe has more than the standard issue tags. There is an alerts function but I have not tested that as you need a Windows computer for that feature. One cool aspect is that you can set it to not repeat a tag so if you’re scanning a group, you can scan the same tag multiple times and the count will not increase. It’s handy to know exactly how many lambs you’ve run through.
Matching a ewe to her lambs took me a few attempts. If the stick is in offspring mode, you can scan the dam first and match her lamb’s tags to hers. When you look up the lamb later, it will show you the dam’s ID. This is helpful when I go to upload the data to the herd management software or if I’m trying to find out which lamb belongs to which ewe.
Once the session is complete, you can upload the data to your phone, tablet or computer. From there, you get access to all the data on the Datamars Livestock program. All of the sessions can be exported into a CSV file that you can then alter and model in Excel or upload to the herd management software of your choice.
Datamars Livestock
If you’re not familiar with TruTest, they make more than just readers, they also make scales. In addition to the hardware, they have an online software program called Datamars Livestock that comes with the purchase of their readers and scales. As mentioned earlier, this program allows you quick access to the data when you upload it. There is a Windows desktop program as well but I haven’t had a chance to use that.
Datamars Livestock primarily shows you lifetime information on an animal and when it was last scanned. There’s no pedigree or performance tracking for dams. It is not going to replace typical herd management software for that completely. It has extensive weight analysis. This feature is mainly for using their scales but there’s a hack around that. If you name one of your custom fields on the stick “Weight” the Datamars program will recognize it and give you a similar analysis. This is super valuable and something I discovered accidentally. I can now track the average daily gain of my lambs and monitor their weights with limited extra analysis, the program does it all for me. I just scan the lamb in the barn and enter its weight on the stick. Once uploaded, I open the online program and I can look up everything about that group.
Final Thoughts
This specific tag reader with its ability to record standard information right in the barn has been really helpful. In addition to all of the features outlined above, it allowed us to process and blood sample over 62 ewes per hour a few weeks ago. It connects to a printer (the Zebra in the photo) which automatically printed the labels for the vials. While this is a niche use and not something everyone needs, if you have a flock that is enrolled in research projects or monitoring programs, this is super helpful.
Due to a wide range of wild stuff that happened here this spring, my lambing records are a bit of a mess but because the stick allowed us to record the lambs and all of their information right at tagging, everything is recorded and already digital. The software allows us to make management decisions faster. I can log in to the online portal and figure out how many lambs we might have ready to ship while away from home because that is being tracked. My shipping lists are ready to print as soon as I’ve scanned the pen, I don’t have to make handwritten notes anymore.
Thanks for reading! You’ll notice that new blog posts will be a bit slow for the next few months, a lot has happened on the farm and it’s taken up all of my time and energy. I hope you stick around, I will explain eventually but for now, I hope we all get plenty of rain and a great first cut of hay!