Ear tags - Tags

jeanthomas · Post by **jeanthomas** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:24 pm

Interesting! I only keep a few cows (dozen max). I always used ketchem metal tags many years ago. When two tags became necessary I changed to Fearing. As some of you are saying they lose these on a regular basis (certainly yearly) without tearing their ears! I have got to the stage where I only retag when necessary. One barren cow I have loses tags as fast as I put them in. She will be retagged next vet visit or when she dies, which ever comes first! On reflection Ketchum metal tags were not nearly so much trouble, but as someone said when you have to buy a quantity, so you use them. Maybe I will go back to Ketcham, they never lost them at the rate we are losing them now!!

Rob R · Post by **Rob R** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:30 pm

Duncan MacIntyre wrote:I notice very few commercial farmers take the trouble to put them in the right way round, in fact on many farms there are more the wrong way than the right way.

That's one of my bugbears, and then I went & put the tag in the wrong way in the one & only breeding heifer I've sold- felt like a right lemon.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 3:35 pm

Talking about ear tags being a problem, this isn't funny really, but I have a little lamb that's had a bacterial infection (I think that's what the vet said. He'd not seen it before) and it has eaten away most of his ears. He's quite happy though and it's under control but he won't be having any ear tags unless his ears grow back!

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 5:56 pm

Good heavens how long did the infection take to eat away the ears ? Also, if it is an infection are your other stock at risk ? You are quite right it doesn't sound at all funny.

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 6:18 pm

It sounds like the lamb has had a similar condition to what is known as "yellowses" in the West of Scotland, and is thought to be due to photosensitisation due to substances in plants. The Bog Asphodel is traditionally blamed, but it may well not be the only cause. The ears swell, get very heavy and hang down, and finally shrivel away and only stumps are left. It can affect only one or sometimes quite a number of a group of lambs, usually hill lambs but I have seen one or two low ground lambs affected.

Duncan

carole · Post by **carole** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 6:39 pm

This thread has been really useful as I have been looking to change the type of eartags I use as I am fed up with the ones I currently use being lost. At the moment I don't think a single one of my cows has two ear tags and it is going to stay that way until someone can justify the cost of ordering a single tag as opposed to a series of them for new calves. Even bearing in mind the extra admin costs how can one single tag be almost the same as 5 double tags (button and dexter size). I thought I had cracked it this year when I tried to order a double set but apparently you are not allowed to do that. There I've had my rant I feel better now.

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:21 pm

Another thing which I'm sure everyone realises is that you can't get a passport for your calves unless you have the eartags (whether they are in or not is another matter). I forgot I'd run out, applied for a passport and was turned down until I'd bought some more. It doesn't matter if there is plenty of time left but if it happened with a borderline application the time it takes to get the tags could really screw things up. Big Brother is watching.

Getting back to losing ears, the only time I've had that happen was through frostbite years ago with one of my alpaca babes whose inexperienced mum gave birth on January 1st in bitter weather and would not settle and feed the babe in the stable. Poor Maisie lost half of both her ears but it doesn't seem to have inconvenienced her although it has done nothing for her looks, she is now 10.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:17 am

I noticed the lamb about 2 weks ago and it had a scar around it's neck and I thought it had caught it's head in the fencing. Which was odd because all our fencing has the large hole so even a ewe can put her head in and out. I forgot about it to be honest and the next time I saw the lamb up close it's skin around it's neck, head, and ears was coming off, showing the flesh. It's ears were skinless. The eating away was very quick, just a couple of days. Antibiotics and some cream seems to have done the trick so far. The vet said it wasn't contagious.

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:40 am

Be carefull about animals with no tags because as I understand it you are only allowed a certain percentage of animals with no or one tag. That can be quite a few in a large herd but two in a small one may tip you over the top. Big Brother may be looking at these posts as you are reading this!

Martin

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 1:18 pm

ear, ear Martin.

happy hollidays · Post by **happy hollidays** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:53 pm

our heifer has a project every now and then - how to get rid of my yellow tag asap - she does it well too! I have now given up in replacing it, I may order one to cover myself but I shan't put it in. I like the idea of branding these days, are you allowed to do that anymore?

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:25 pm

Freeze branding is allowed and widely practised. A large proportion of dairy cows have management numbers on their rump, grows in white on the black or red skin. Quite a number of our clients commercial suckler herds now have numbers on their back, so it can be read from one side, done to suit the farm handling system.

I have never seen a dexter freeze branded but I think they would show up very well as I have seen several which had bald patches on the hind quarters in winter grow in some white hair where the skin had got colder. I am not quite sure how it would do in the show ring, though theoretically it should not be a problem.

Duncan

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 3:03 am

Does the freeze branding then mean you don't have to tag?

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:08 am

Sorry Clive, the freeze brand cannot replace the tag, and is usually just two or three digits to identify the animal for management purposes, and maintain a record of brand numbers against official ear numbers. Some serially number them say 1 to 300 or whatever and when a cow is culled the number will be used again on a replacement heifer. Some use the last 3 digits of the official number, but this is not so handy in herds with any number of purchased animals .

Duncan