Ear Tagging

[Kaleb]

I have a system I use to ear tag but want to hear what everyone else uses.
How do you guys ear tag your cattle and keep your records?
Interested to hear what you guys have to say.

 

[sstterry]

Every one is different. Some are able to tag at birth, some wait and some tag at first working and then match them to the mamma. For me, it is almost impossible to get them all at birth so I do it when I get them up if I did not catch them soon enough in the field.

 

[Brute 23]

I try to get the cows number, with a date, and a description (bwb, rwh, etc) in my tally book as soon I am able to see the calf. I have albums in my phone by year/ property for pics also. I'll add them to my excel spreadsheet as time permits. First time we work cattle I'll get a tag in the calfs ear, match it to the momma to double check, and add its number to the books.

Tagging at birth is not an option for us.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Sstterry is right, every one is different.
In my cow herd what started out as simple has morphed into a monster that only I understand.
The calves are tagged shortly after birth with there mothers ID. Hfrs in the left ear bull calves in the right. Bull calves all get yellow tags. Hfrs are color coded according to there sire. When I pick out My replacement heifers they get there own ID tagged in there right ear. The replacements are color coded according to the year.
That way at the end of the day (until they loose them) all my cows are a walking record book. I know who there dam and sire are, and what year they were born.
We started losing to many tags, so I started freeze branding.
I use Cattle Max record keeping software.

 

[Silver]

I tag within a day of birth. I give my heifer calves a tag with the mothers number on top, the calf's number is her order of birth followed by the year letter. It will never get changed out unless she loses it. Steer calves just get their mothers number.
I use Calfbook app and a cow book in my shirt pocket to keep track of things.

 

[kentuckyguy]

How do you all get your write on ear tags to not fade

 

[sstterry]

It looks like Silver is using a Dremel type tool on his.

 

[Kaleb]

I have always like 1 piece ear tags, I think they stay in longer than the 2 piece. However looking at the those ear tags Silver posted (probably Ritchey tags) has me intrigued. Do you guys have many problems with the 2 piece construction of the 2 piece tags that ritchey tags makes?

 

[Dave]

Neighbor B is doing the calving and tagging. He has assortment of tag colors in his rig. There is his commercial cows, his Waygu cows, two different son's cows, the hired man, and a few cows of mine. Calves are tagged with right correct color for the cow owner. He does put some more information on his own calf tags. I know my calves just get the cow number. At the brandings you need to have a phd to know which brand goes on which calf.

 

[greggy]

I tag within a day of birth. I give my heifer calves a tag with the mothers number on top, the calf's number is her order of birth followed by the year letter. It will never get changed out unless she loses it. Steer calves just get their mothers number.
I use Calfbook app and a cow book in my shirt pocket to keep track of things.

Do you use the mothers number so you can see if they are with the mother, like when yarding etc ? Or some other reason/s ?

 

[greggy]

I have a system I use to ear tag but want to hear what everyone else uses.
How do you guys ear tag your cattle and keep your records?
Interested to hear what you guys have to say.

Here they have a unique ID tag that is mandated, but you cant see or read it.

Our own tags can be any system, but I am using just a simple number and colour code tag to match year of birth, is all recorded in an app with all other data and treatments etc etc.

 

[TCRanch]

My calves are tagged generally day 1 (along with spraying their umbilical cord, First Defense & now Inforce 3). My numbering system is a cluster that only I understand but matches the dam. Heifers left ear, bull calves right (they're steered when we work them in May). Tags are color coded; each year the calves of the first calf heifers get a different color. Calf number, DOB, name (yes, I name them) and TCR on the back of the tags juuuuust in case one somehow gets in a neighbors pasture & they know who to call. No apps. I'm old school and write everything down on a notepad, subsequently Excel.

I've tried every marker on the market and aside from using a Dremel they're gonna eventually fade.

 

[Silver]

Do you use the mothers number so you can see if they are with the mother, like when yarding etc ? Or some other reason/s ?

I like to know who they belong to without going to the book. That's handy at any time. I also like to go through the cows and I can see by their tags who they came from and it makes it easier for me to see which family lines are doing what.

 

[greggy]

My calves are tagged generally day 1 (along with spraying their umbilical cord, First Defense & now Inforce 3). My numbering system is a cluster that only I understand but matches the dam. Heifers left ear, bull calves right (they're steered when we work them in May). Tags are color coded; each year the calves of the first calf heifers get a different color. Calf number, DOB, name (yes, I name them) and TCR on the back of the tags juuuuust in case one somehow gets in a neighbors pasture & they know who to call. No apps. I'm old school and write everything down on a notepad, subsequently Excel.

I've tried every marker on the market and aside from using a Dremel they're gonna eventually fade.

So you use dremel and then marker on top....i think allflex tags too soft for dremel ?

And how does the sharpie brand markers go...as good as any other ?

You can get them laser done down here too...but the ones I did on some colours were already hard to read after a few days of dust on them....albeit are sheep tags so much smaller...marker good on cattle tags that are 1 and 2 year old...but I did not do those tags

 

[Silver]

My females get Richie engrave-able tags, as seen in the above picture. They might lose them but they don't fade.
We must also apply RFID tags to our cattle, and for the females I record the number on the RFID. If and when they become replacements I apply a metal tag similar (or the same?) as a bangs tag and also record that in the book. Theoretically I should always be able to identify a cow if I have her in the chute lol

 

[greggy]

Thats the aim of the game

So do you use sharpie or similar after engraving ?

 

[Chevy]

I tried to pierce a few time... I couldn't do it. I tried really hard just couldn't bring myself to do it. How do you get passed this feeling of hurting the cows? I know the new ear tag aka ear rings look just so stinking cute but how do you get over the part. My neighbor came to help us he was an ear piercing pro... pop pop pop. I'm looking at him like I'm guess that just wasn't meant to me my job in life. My ❤ hurts for them. I can watch doesn't bother me just can't do it myself.

 

[Chevy]

Thats the aim of the game

So do you use sharpie or similar after engraving ?

I saw a pen by the tags at our Rural King. Guess its supposed to be some special pen. Google it maybe that help. Google that if that don't work ask an old farmer.

 

[greggy]

I do not want to buy a special pen that they sell at rural stores here too, if it is just another permanent marker....but at 10 x the normal price.

 

[Redgully]

I do not want to buy a special pen that they sell at rural stores here too, if it is just another permanent marker....but at 10 x the normal price.

They are better, last a lot longer. Like a paint pen rather than a permanent marker.