Cattle Brands

[C520]

I have recently bought some Longhorns and I have a heifer that needs a brand. I don't have a large herd, just about 6 so I plan on expanding and I need a brand. Any Ideas of where I can find brands or some help with designing my own?

Thanks,
Eric

 

[sjr725]

Don't know how it works where you are but in Montana, you can go to the brand office (Dept of Livestock) and look throught their books of available brands and pick one of those or if you like one of theirs and want to alter it a bit - they'll check it for you and make sure it doesn't conflict with any other brand that's out there and if it doesn't they will issue it to you. Same if you want to make one up of your own - they will still have to check and make sure no body else is using it and that it doesn't conflict with anyone elses and they will assign where it can be used i.e. right hip, left hip, right rib ect. they will also tell you what you can use it on i.e. horses, cattle, sheep, all of the above. In Montana you pick the brand you want, they check it out for you and issue you a brand certificate in about 2 weeks - and you absolutely CANNOT use the brand until you have that certificate. I just went through this last summer because our brand certificate had expired - I forgot to send in the renewal, here they are good for 10 years. So, I'd call your department of livestock or the local brand inspector for more info.

 

[BC]

In Texas, you register your brand in the County Clerk's office of the county in which you run cattle. They have a brand book with the recorded brands and marks for that county. If no one else is using the design you have in mind in the location on the animal, then you may register and use that brand. You may have to change location of where you put the brand.

 

[LonghornRanch]

I bought mine here.



http://www.lhbrandingirons.com

 

[sjr725]

you can buy a branding iron anywhere but you still have to register it with the appropriate state/county authority before you can use it. they will have to check it and make sure no one else has it and then they will approve it in a specific location on the animal. This is a legal mark of ownership and must be used only after you get the legal authority to use it.

 

[C520]

I am kind of new in the cattle raising world, but I am a member of TLBAA and I know to bring a longhorn to TBLAA sale you have to be a member and have a registered brand. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

 

[warpaint]

My avatar is my brand. As already stated, you have to register it with your state and national breed registry.

Welcome to the Longhorn family. ;-)

Edit;
It took alot of fighting and cussin on my part, to get this past the Mrs.'s. Pick something unique or something that you like and go from there. Farm or ranch name, initials or whatever. Because mine is what it is, everybody in the TLBAA knows where I'm from.

 

[msscamp]

Any Ideas of where I can find brands or some help with designing my own?

Thanks,
Eric

In Wyoming all brands are registered/issued through the Wyoming Livestock Board. It's a $25 non-refundable fee to design your own brand, and submit it to see if it's already taken, $150 to register it if it's available, then whatever fee the blacksmith charges to make irons. You should be able to purchase a book from the state registry agency that has all the brands currently registered to eliminate duplicates. Another option would be to ask the local brand inspectors if you could peruse their book.

 

[Matt Schiel]

You will want to design a brand that is unique and simple. If you have to much small detail you can make the brand unreadable and really useless. I would come up with two or three brands and then go down to you courthouse to see if anybody else has your brand. Brands in TX are only good for ten years, then you have to re-register your brand or it could be registered to another guy. You can also register your brand in as many counties as you want, to protect your brand from other users surrounding you. We have our brand in Montgomery, Harris & Madison counties.

Matt

 

[Beef11]

Keep it OPEN if you close it up it will smear to much avoid using letters that have lots of corners O's are an example of a bad letter Don't overlap any letters or bars i would use a symbol that was very simple it will save you and the brand inspector time.

 

[WagaAgeyv]

you can go to http://texaslonghornranchsupply.com/ they will have any and everything you ever need.

As they have said try and use open letters, use your farm letters or what you think is unique to your and yours. My son worked ours for a couple of weeks before we dicided on what to use and his design won out. It takes about a month from start to finish if you get started right away. Call your local Agriculture Extension office they are your best help.

 

[nathanm]

Pardon me for interupting, but is there certian circumstances or situations where you HAVE to have a brand or is it just somethin that most cattlemen do? B/c i have lived here and farmed with my dad goin on 18 years and i don't ever recollect brandin cattle.

 

[nathanm]

Pardon me for interupting, but is there certian circumstances or situations where you HAVE to have a brand or is it just somethin that most cattlemen do? B/c i have lived here and farmed with my dad goin on 18 years and i don't ever recollect brandin cattle.

 

[warpaint]

Pardon me for interupting, but is there certian circumstances or situations where you HAVE to have a brand or is it just somethin that most cattlemen do? B/c i have lived here and farmed with my dad goin on 18 years and i don't ever recollect brandin cattle.

Just from my point of view,
As we raise registered Texas Longhorns, we have to brand as a regulation of our association.

To my way of thinking though, it's the cheapest and most efficient way to indentify your cattle.

 

[nathanm]

O, i see. Well we don't belong to any association but it did cross my mind in case we lost one and there was some dispute or if we saw one we mighta sold to someone

 

[msscamp]

Pardon me for interupting, but is there certian circumstances or situations where you HAVE to have a brand or is it just somethin that most cattlemen do? B/c i have lived here and farmed with my dad goin on 18 years and i don't ever recollect brandin cattle.

Cattle on open range in Wyoming are required by law to be branded. The rest of us do it because it's easier to identify our cattle, and it makes for a little less hassle come time to sell them - due to required brand inspections, and all.

 

[nathanm]

o well that pretty well explains it. i live in Indiana, where you cant spit into wind without hittin a neighbor that won't complain. (city folks movin out to our area and takin any and all chances for expanison of pasture, open range, boy do i wish)

 

[lilmac]

I brought a young bull in a couple of years ago, and was planing to brand him in a day or so. No rush, let him settle in a lil bit I thought, WRONG, he decided to go touring, since he looked just like every other black bull in the country I never could posotively identify him, and never recoverd him. Now they have a brand slaped on there a$$ as soon as they hit the farm, or as soon as they are weaned if they are to be kept for replacement. Otherwise they are shiped.

 

[msscamp]

o well that pretty well explains it. i live in Indiana, where you cant spit into wind without hittin a neighbor that won't complain. (city folks movin out to our area and takin any and all chances for expanison of pasture, open range, boy do i wish)

I hear ya. It's getting that way here, too. Several good sized ranches have been bought by developers and turned into 'ranchettes' of 40, 60, 80, or 120 acres. :roll:

 

[nathanm]

Yeah it pretty much sucks. That is why if i plan on becomin a beef farmer on a large scale i'm headin out that way. Yeah dad was tellin me how when he was a kid he could walk for a mile or two with his dog and not see as much as one person. if i did that today, my butt would be persecuted for trespassin. but anyway.....