Branding

[tdarden3k]

Can a few of you discuss Branding with me ? Benefits and concerns over regular marking systems.

Also can you register a brand and would that make it more difficult to dispose of a stolen animal(s) ?

Also Hot vs Freeze branding and whether or not you take a hit at the sale because of a brand ?
Thanks

 

[Bigfoot]

For me numbering cows is the only benefit. I prefer hot iron. As far as I know there is no way to register a brand in Ky. It may be, and I just don't know it. I like hot iron because it is less steps. It's probably not as attractive as a freeze. I freeze brand the birth year on horses left shoulder.

 

[TexasBred]

Can a few of you discuss Branding with me ? Benefits and concerns over regular marking systems.

Also can you register a brand and would that make it more difficult to dispose of a stolen animal(s) ?

Also Hot vs Freeze branding and whether or not you take a hit at the sale because of a brand ?
Thanks

Have no idea where you are located td but here in Texas you can and should register your brand. In a court of law it is the only accepted "proof of ownership" . I have always used the hot brand and prefer the electric models while branding in a chute.

 

[Dave]

Here in Washington you can register a brand and it is illegal to brand with an unregistered brand. It is positive ID of ownership. It is a means of identifying animals that can't be removed or changed.

A hot iron is quicker and easier. Most anyone can learn to apply one quickly. Also less expensive.

I live in a part of the state with a low percentage of cattle branded. I sell in an area where most are branded. I actually think I get more for branded calves because they don't appear to be a put together group and buyers don't think of them as West side calves because they are branded.

 

[tdarden3k]

I have seen a few YouTube videos of the Hot Iron (When they seem to be cooking the animal) and the Freeze Brand Technique ( Where they shave and hold it on the animal for darn near 2 minutes. ) I know there has to be some discomfort for cattle, but is it generally within humane tolerances ?

 

[Bigfoot]

I can't tell freeze branding causes much discomfort at all. I've never had one set back by a hot iron.

 

[cow pollinater]

Check your state's laws. Here in CA a freeze brand is not a legal mark of ownership.
As far as discomfort, I doubt it's as bad as it looks. Their hide is pretty thick.

 

[Jessica06]

They forget about it pretty much right after you take the brander off. We hot brand our heifers and bull calves that we are keeping at weaning with our H, then put their number on them at yearling. More room, and if they get culled early they don't have a lot of numbers on them. Selling cows, people around here get pretty excited when young cows go through with lots of numbers. Sometimes to the tune of $10/cwt. Hot branding is easier, cheaper, and you can't paint over it.

 

[TexasBred]

I have seen a few YouTube videos of the Hot Iron (When they seem to be cooking the animal) and the Freeze Brand Technique ( Where they shave and hold it on the animal for darn near 2 minutes. ) I know there has to be some discomfort for cattle, but is it generally within humane tolerances ?

"Humane"?? I guess that would depend on who is doing the branding and what he considers humane. The iron is red hot....Most of the feeling is in the top layer of skin itself and that is seared pretty quickly (cooked if you will). I've got a couple of "brands" on me from various accidents in life. Can't remember how any of it felt but I'm sure it had some initial pain.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We freeze brand, strictly because we are in an area of high cattle theft. It is very easy, and much more visible on cattle than a burn brand. I have a cow in my field we bought as a heifer, she has a huge burn brand on her ribs, and you can not see it 90% of the time due to her hair covering it. Our freeze brand is seen from a far distance. We brand all calves at weaning, and it takes a few minutes each calf. If you use liquid nitrogen, it takes just seconds. If you use dry ice and alcohol, like we do, it takes around 60 seconds each animal. Considering you brand an animal one time in their life, it is a small time commitment compared to loosing your animals to theft. I think the way to think about it is this; if you own the animals for a short period of time (stockers/growers), then burn branding is most convenient. If you own the animal for more than a year, freeze branding is best. It is like have a self addressed envelope, since the white brand on a dark hide is easily seen from a distance. I doubt someone will go through the trouble of dieing back over the white hair to slip them in a sale somewhere... but you never know!
Here are some pics of our brand, on the left front shoulder...

Here is the cow with the burn brand, BEFORE we put our brand on her...

 

[TexasBred]

Glad you don't raise chars. I can see the hot brand. I guess it's "to each his own". Both are permanent and readable if done right. Maybe not from a hundred miles away but still readable. My preference is still the hot brand.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Glad you don't raise chars. I can see the hot brand. I guess it's "to each his own". Both are permanent and readable if done right. Maybe not from a hundred miles away but still readable. My preference is still the hot brand.

If I raised Chars we would not be freeze branding! But, I do not. The freeze brand even shows up well on a red hide, like some of our simms.
Like you said, to each their own. You have to do what works for your place. :tiphat:

 

[BRYANT]

In Oklahoma you can and should register your brand cost 25.00 for 5 years I use a electric hot brand for cattle and a freez brand for my hunting dogs. I am sold on branding cattle think it helps to keep them from getting stole. Had a brand inspector call me a couple years ago said he had a bull with my brand that had broke into someones pasture ,about 200 miles from where I live, come to find out it was a bull I had sold 4 years ago by now he was about 10 or 11 years old but I was able to give them the name of man that bought him from me so they could track down who owned him. That let me know registered brands do work

 

[TexasBred]

If I raised Chars we would not be freeze branding! But, I do not. The freeze brand even shows up well on a red hide, like some of our simms.
Like you said, to each their own. You have to do what works for your place. :tiphat:

BTW, forgot to mention you did an excellent job with those freeze brand. Love the brand too. ;-)

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

As has been said:

1. Check with your state laws
2. If you are going to register your cattle - check with your breed association (Beefmasters is hot brand only)
3. Humane: the top layer of cells are killed instantly in either case and then holding the iron there ensures the permanent mark is left on the animal

Hot iron branding -- hold and roll slightly until you get a nice copper color - you know it will last... should take well under 30 seconds if your iron is hot.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

If I raised Chars we would not be freeze branding! But, I do not. The freeze brand even shows up well on a red hide, like some of our simms.
Like you said, to each their own. You have to do what works for your place. :tiphat:

BTW, forgot to mention you did an excellent job with those freeze brand. Love the brand too. ;-)

Why, thank you :tiphat:

We recently were asked to demonstrate freeze branding to a LARGE group, the extension office put on a branding clinic because of all the thefts. We were expecting around 60 or so people to show, ended up with several hundred. WOW! But it was fun. I wish we had that kind of class to go to before we started, probably would have designed the brand a little simpler. But live and learn, and we kind of like the way it looks now practice makes perfect, I guess.

 

[3waycross]

I have found that freeze branding worked well for me on calves. Not worth a darn on adult cattle. I used nitrogen and branded 10 cows over the years. Virtually none of the brands are visible now. The ones who were freeze branded as calves are excellant!

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I have found that freeze branding worked well for me on calves. Not worth a darn on adult cattle. I used nitrogen and branded 10 cows over the years. Virtually none of the brands are visible now. The ones who were freeze branded as calves are excellant!

Hmmm, that is interesting. We did all of the cows last fall, so the brands are all good so far. We do all the calves at weaning now, and we can look back over our notes and make changes according to what we did and how the brand turned out. We know we need to rock the brand more, sometimes we get incomplete transfer at the corners of the brand or the very top or bottom. I wonder why older animals grow hair back but younger do not? Maybe the skin is thinner in the young, thus doing a better job of killing the hair follicle???
I think someone needs to do a study on that! :nod:

 

[3MR]

With an electric brand by the time you have the next animal in the chute you are ready to go again. As I understand it with the freeze brand, similar to a conventional fire brand, you have a waiting period between when you use the brand and its ready to go again, ie: either cold or hot enough. So you either take longer to get through all your stock or you have to spend extra money having a second set to use while the first set is getting to the right temperature to go again.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

With an electric brand by the time you have the next animal in the chute you are ready to go again. As I understand it with the freeze brand, similar to a conventional fire brand, you have a waiting period between when you use the brand and its ready to go again, ie: either cold or hot enough. So you either take longer to get through all your stock or you have to spend extra money having a second set to use while the first set is getting to the right temperature to go again.

By the time you get the spot shaved where the brand will go, the iron is cold enough. It usually takes a minute. We find our biggest time commitment is clipping the spot, that takes a minute or two.