Skip to main content

Offspring pairing on an XRS2i/XRS2 stick reader

The Offspring pairing feature allows you to link a Dam (mother) with her offspring on an XRS2i/XRS2 EID stick reader.

The Offspring Pairing feature works for Cows with Calves and for Ewes with Lambs. It allows a breeder to link offspring to a dam so they can look up an animal's lineage and view breeding history. This feature is intended to be used in a workflow where the Dam ID is entered first and then its offspring ID is entered.

You can use the Offspring Pairing feature to:

  • Link a Dam with its current offspring and record into the offspring lifetime information.

  • Record other information for the offspring and/or Dam such as DOB, Breed.

  • Review offspring pairing information on the stick reader.

📝 The Offspring Pairing feature is only available on the XRS2i/XRS2 model.

At the time of recording offspring, you can also record other information such as an animal’s date of birth or breed. This extra information can be recorded for the Dam, the Offspring, or both Dam and Offspring.

📝 Offspring pairing information can only be recorded for animals with EID tags.

Setting up offspring pairing

  1. Press P12L1#yIS1 to switch on the stick reader.

  2. Press P13L1#yIS1and select Settings.

  3. Select Tag Reading.

  4. Select Offspring Mode.

  5. Enable Offspring Mode.

💡 Before you begin scanning offspring pairs, you may like to pre-load animal lifetime information such as a file containing EID/VID pairs. This will mean that when you scan an EID tag, the animal’s VID number will automatically be displayed. See Transferring animal lifetime information to an XRS2i/XRS2 stick reader.

Recording offspring pairs

When recording dams and their offspring, you must scan animals in a particular order. The Dam must always be scanned first, followed immediately by her offspring.

Here is an example scanning sequence:

  1. Scan the first Dam (Dam 1).

  2. Scan both of her offspring (Offspring 1 and Offspring 2 of Dam 1)

  3. Scan the next Dam (Dam 2).

  4. Scan her offspring (Offspring 1 of Dam 2) etc.

To start a new session file and record offspring pairs:

  1. On the Home screen, pressP32L4#yIS1and select New Session.

  2. If desired, change the session name using the keypad and press P33L4#yIS1.

  3. Press P34L4#yIS1 to confirm that you want to scan in Offspring mode.
    The Scanning screen contains extra fields especially for offspring pairing.

  4. Scan the EID of the first Dam by pressing the Read button while holding the stick reader near its EID.
    The EID is recorded and the screen displays ‘Dam’.

  5. Scan the EID of the Dam’s offspring.

  6. Press P39#yIS1 to confirm that the animal is the offspring of the Dam you recorded previously.
    The EID is recorded and the screen displays ‘Off’ (Offspring) and the EID of the Dam.

  7. Scan the next animal’s EID. If the animal is another offspring of the same Dam, confirm this by pressing P42#yIS1. If it is not offspring but a new Dam, press P42#yIS2.

Recording other information

You can record additional information during scanning by adding animal data fields to the Scanning screen. This extra information can be recorded for the Dam, The Offspring, or both Dam and Offspring.

💡For example, you might want to record information such as the DOB (date of birth) or the breed of the offspring.
​

To add animal data fields to the Scanning screen:

  1. On the Home screen, press P49L5#yIS1and select Settings.

  2. Select Animal Data.

  3. Select a field you want to display on the Scanning screen (e.g. DOB).

  4. Select a number for the Screen Order. This sets the order in which fields will be displayed on the Scanning screen.

  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for any additional animal data fields you want displayed on the Scanning screen.

📝 When Offspring Mode is enabled, any extra animal data fields will appear after the three default fields displayed (D/O, Dam EID and Dam VID). This means that the first available position for an animal data field is 4.
​

📝 If you previously set up an extra ID field before enabling Offspring Pairing mode, this ID field will appear with the Dam details on the Scanning screen. In this case, the first available position for an animal data field is 5.

To record data about the Dam, the Offspring or both Dam and Offspring:

  1. On the Home screen, press P49L5#yIS1and select Settings.

  2. Select Tag Reading.

  3. Select Offspring Mode.

  4. Select Animal Data.

  5. For each data field (e.g. DOB and Breed) select Dam, Offsp or Both.

To record offspring pairs when you also have animal data fields on the Scanning screen:

  1. Follow the instructions for recording offspring pairs, but as soon as you have scanned an EID tag for an animal requiring extra data fields,
    press P64L6#yIS1to scroll to the animal data field. Enter data using the keypad.

  2. Scroll to the next animal data field (if you have added more than one animal data field to the Scanning screen) and enter data in it.

  3. Scan the EID tag of the next animal and proceed as usual.

Reviewing offspring pairing information

You can view the offspring pairing information you have recorded by opening the session on the stick reader.

To view a recorded session:

On the Home screen, select Sessions.

  1. Scroll to the session containing offspring pairing information you have recorded and select it.

  2. The EID tags of all animals recorded in the session are displayed.

  3. Select an EID to view details of the individual animal.

The following fields are displayed:

  • The date and time the animal was scanned.

  • The animal’s EID (and VID if you included this as an animal data field when setting up the Scanning screen)

  • D/O = Dam or Off (Offspring)

  • Dam EID (and Dam VID if applicable)

  • Any other animal data fields you included when you set up the scanning screen.

Getting information off the XRS2i/XRS2 stick reader

You can transfer the data you have recorded:

Fixing errors

If you make a mistake during scanning, you can easily fix the error on the stick reader before transferring the data.

Examples of mistakes which can occur:

  • As you are scanning animals, you realise that your animals have got out of sequence.

  • You realise that you have recorded offspring against the wrong dam.

  • You realise that you have recorded a dam as an offspring.

Fixing an error during scanning

  1. In the Scanning screen, as soon as you have scanned the EID tag, you can delete that record by
    pressing P105L10C1T9#yIS1.

  2. Press P106L10C1T9#yIS1 to confirm.

Fixing an error in the session file after scanning

You need to find the record containing the error, delete that record and scan the animal again. If you have assigned dam and offspring incorrectly, we recommend that you delete the records of both the dam and its offspring and re-scan them again.

  1. On the Home screen, select Sessions.

  2. Scroll to the session containing the error and select it.

    The EID tags of all animals recorded in the session are displayed.

  3. Select the EID with the mistake in it.

  4. Press P116L11C1T10#yIS1.

  5. Press P117L11C1T10#yIS1 to confirm that you want to delete the record.

  6. Re-scan the EID tags in the correct order (dam, followed by offspring) as required.

Need more help? Click on the blue messaging tool in the bottom right-hand corner of this screen .

Did this answer your question?