Tagging calves

[tcolvin]

I have a small operation with 15 -20 at different times of Black Angus, Charolais, Herford, Black face Baldees and one Holstein that has the best calves you could ever ask for. My Bull is a full blood (could be registered, but I see no value for me to do so) nice size big boy. My question is do you larger guys tag calves so you know who's mama is who's. What are the advantages of tagging them? Also at what age do you tag if you do so. My problem now is 4 black calves about same age and more to be this month, do I need to know who belongs to who? Also what is your method for doing this as mama cow doesn't think much of me bothering the baby. I have had cows and calves going on 7 years now and I have switched my herd early on from dairy breeds to all beef except for the one Holstein and that's another story. (Great Grands and one named her) as I said she has top notch all black calves that at 7 months will push 600-650 pounds or more. Nice calves. Thanks for your input.

 

[daneg]

Most operations tag calves, it comes in handy if they have to be sorted and sent to different pastures or to keep track of doctoring sick ones. I haven't dangle tagged calves for a few years, my cows remain in one group year round. If one is doctored it gets a grease crayon Mark. At branding time the calves get an RFID tag( mandatory here for traceability before transport off the place)

 

[wbvs58]

I started tagging calves when I castrated them at about 6-8 weeks of age. When they went back out with their mothers then it was easy to write down who belonged to who. I the bought a set of scales to weigh them so I could see what each cow was capable of with her calf. This is where my troubles began as I started to look for cows that were improvers to my situation and an opportunity arose to buy a couple of seedstock cows so I thought that would be good to benchmark my cows against. I kept buying a couple more each year and now run a small seedstock operation of around 40 females. I now tag at birth.

I have found that cows that were born on my place are much more ameniable to letting you tag their calf than cows bought in and the younger they are as in 1st calf heifers, the better. They get cranky as they get older. I still watch them very carefully and get out of there if it looks like things are not going good, there is always another day.

If you are looking to improve then tagging them is indispensible.

Ken

 

[tcolvin]

Mind remain in one group but I thought it might just be good to know in case of some sickness or defect that might be hereditary and would thus help to isolate a problem. I was thinking of a blank tag that could be marked with mamas ear tag number. Then if I was looking at calf #40 I would know that mama #40 would the calf's mama. . Use maybe a permanent marker. All my calves got to sale at 7-8 months anyway.

 

[TCRanch]

My calves are tagged day 1, including number, date of birth, ranch logo and name (don't judge ). Bull calves, right ear, heifers left ear. Tags are different colors that indicate which "group" they belong to. And since I have a relatively tight calving window and 99% of my calves are solid black, I need to know who they belong to.

 

[Silver]

I was thinking of a blank tag that could be marked with mamas ear tag number. Then if I was looking at calf #40 I would know that mama #40 would the calf's mama. . Use maybe a permanent marker. All my calves got to sale at 7-8 months anyway.

if you are selling them all anyway that is as good a plan as any. But use the proper marking pen.
I give all my steer calves a tag with only their mothers number. Why would they need anything else?
I retain heifers so each heifer get numbered in order of birth. First heifer born this year will be 1L. Above that I will write the mothers number so I can always tell at a glance who the mother is.

 

[tcolvin]

My calves are tagged day 1, including number, date of birth, ranch logo and name (don't judge ). Bull calves, right ear, heifers left ear. Tags are different colors that indicate which "group" they belong to. And since I have a relatively tight calving window and 99% of my calves are solid black, I need to know who they belong to.

I glad to see this.method of left ear - right ear tagging I also have about 26 head of goats and when I Scrappie tag the babies I do this left ear right ear tagging for marking girl or boy goat. I think now I'll start with the calves. It just makes sense to know things at a glance. People laugh at me for the intensive records I keep in my computer and phone that are linked together. I know at all times how many more 5 gallon buckets of cotton seed is in my storage, how many bales of hay are left on the yard, how many bags of goat feed is in the bin and the last day it runs out. I keep daily cost of feed for cows and goats and cost per animal of the feed they eat. Also history on each animal with all vaccines, wormings, , and etc. When I put it in my phone or computer it deducts automatically from the last total and updates both. This to me is just a spill over from my job of numbers and costing of goods bought stateside and from the Covid China imports. At 74, when I retired, now the numbers are fun again. At 75 years of age it keeps me something to do plus I love the livestock life.
"Records, it's what's for business"

 

[TCRanch]

I glad to see this.method of left ear - right ear tagging I also have about 26 head of goats and when I Scrappie tag the babies I do this left ear right ear tagging for marking girl or boy goat. I think now I start with the calves. It just makes sense to know things at a glance. People laugh at me for the intensive records I keep in my computer and phone that are linked together. I know at all times how many more 5 gallon buckets of cotton seed is in my storage, how many bales of hay are left on the yard, how many bags of goat feed is in the bin and the last day it runs out. I keep daily cost of feed for cows and goats and cost per animal of the feed they eat. Also history on each animal with all vaccines, wormings, , and etc. When I put it in my phone or computer it deducts automatically from the last total and updates both. This to me is just a spill over from my job of numbers and costing of goods bought stateside and from the Covid China imports. Glad I'm retired, now the numbers are fun again. At 75 years of age it keeps me something to do plus I love the livestock life.
"Records, it's what's for business"

Tom, you're like my soul brother! I've been referred to as the Anal Poster Child because of my diligent, color-coded records (which, of course, match the ear tags). I have a documented history of every cow, calf, heifer & bull. In addition to my numerous spreadsheets for everything else "ranch". Our CPA and vet love me.

 

[tcolvin]

Tom, you're like my soul brother! I've been referred to as the Anal Poster Child because of my diligent, color-coded records (which, of course, match the ear tags). I have a documented history of every cow, calf, heifer & bull. In addition to my numerous spreadsheets for everything else "ranch". Our CPA and vet love me.

Most people just don't understand people like us, but when we need to do something it helps to know what has been done and what hadn't been done. Sometimes it's a matter of survival. I'm glad to hear of your record keeping and now I'm even more glad I do it. It's just good to know what's going on in the pasture.

 

[littletom]

Every calf is tagged with moms number in the right ear. If a heifer makes it through all the cuts she gets her own number when pelvic measure. Also gets freeze branded with that number that day. Hers till culled or dies. Right ear because i use a hook to catch with lest hand tag with right hand. And all our head gates are operated from right side i can that side. Tagging all reasons listed and you can't manage what you can't measure. You need to know which cow has a dink black calf two years in a row.

 

[GoWyo]

I tag calves to match cow's tag. My vet asked me how I decide which ear to tag them and I said when I straddle them and squeeze them between my knees I'm right handed and that's the ear they get their tag in. If they make the replacement pen or the bull pen, they get a new tag when we take yearling weights or clip sale cattle for pics and video and I pull the calf tag. That's usually before calving season so I wash the old calf tags and if I reuse the number, just go over it again with the tag marker pen ( yup I'm thrifty and only have to buy about a third or half the tags each year plus a few bags of buttons ).

 

[GoWyo]

Other thing is never mark your tag before you have a live calf on the ground or you will jinx it, calf will be dead and waste a good tag.

 

[R lazy 7]

I don't tag calves..... my cows can't read!

 

[Silver]

My memory is not good enough to not tag and keep notes

 

[Dave]

Calves get tagged with the cows number at birth. They get hauled to summer range. It will take 2 or 3 trips to haul them all. We want pairs to match up when they arrive. A cow without the calf or calf without the cow.... hard telling where they will be when we get back in an hour or two with the next load.

 

[Brute 23]

I dont see tagging calves as a necessity for your operation. It would be nice to do but it's definitely not worth the hassle of tagging as a newborn.

When a cow has a calf I write down her number, a description of the calf like... bwb... black and white bull, and an estimated date on its age. In your case snapping a pic at the time of momma and calf could help. That info goes in to an excel spreadsheet. I don't put much else on the tags.

When the calves start getting around #300 we will catch the cattle in the pens. We seperate cows and calves. Cows get worked and kicked out in to a small trap that adjoins the pens. We will wait until late that evening or early the next morning, depending on how many there are, to work the calves. Calves get banded, shots, and ear tags.

My son is usually on the sxs with a note pad and and I'll give him hand signals for the calf number as I tag it. Then when it gets turned out he follows it to its momma and writes her number next to the calf number. He can loop back and be ready usually as we finish up the next one. We do that over and over until they are all paired up.

Imo, as a minimum cows need to be tagged and calves need to be written down when they are born so you know the cow is calving regularly.

I like having calves tagged because we track avg pounds per day of gain from birth to sale time.

There were also stats out that claim buyers pay more for tagged calves because it shows some history they have likely been worked. If the numbers were correct, it justified the purchase of a tag.

It is rare that we have issue, but yes, cows have gotten injured and we needed to catch their calf. Tags make it easier to pen the momma and calf although there are other ways to figure it out.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, calves just look so dang good with their new tags.

 

[CowboyRam]

I tag so I can make sure that pairs get reunited once moved to summer pasture. I also make sure everything is tagged before going to the sale barn; one year the sale barn lost a couple calves because I didn't tag them. I tag heifers in the left ear, and bulls in the right; although I have been known to get a tag in the wrong ear. Probably because I got in hurry because mama was not happy.

 

[Bob Kinford]

I started tagging calves when I castrated them at about 6-8 weeks of age. When they went back out with their mothers then it was easy to write down who belonged to who. I the bought a set of scales to weigh them so I could see what each cow was capable of with her calf. This is where my troubles began as I started to look for cows that were improvers to my situation and an opportunity arose to buy a couple of seedstock cows so I thought that would be good to benchmark my cows against. I kept buying a couple more each year and now run a small seedstock operation of around 40 females. I now tag at birth.

I have found that cows that were born on my place are much more ameniable to letting you tag their calf than cows bought in and the younger they are as in 1st calf heifers, the better. They get cranky as they get older. I still watch them very carefully and get out of there if it looks like things are not going good, there is always another day.

If you are looking to improve then tagging them is indispensible.

Ken

Easy to improve your herd without tagging or keeping records. A week or two before weaning throw your herd into a small trap. Pair out anything that doesn't fit your program, along with any dry cows. Send those to the sale barn. No buying tags, no getting rolled tagging calves, no spending time going over data, then trying to find the cows you need to cull. Everything taken care of in in a pleasant day or two playing with your cows.

 

[Brute 23]

I forgot to out my disclaimer. When I say around #300 thats an ideal range. It's more like #200 to #750 in real world numbers.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

I don't tag calves..... my cows can't read!

Both of them?