Ear tags....

[eric]

I noticed in another thread that most of you guys use yur own numbering system for ear tags. I really like Certherds idea about the yr of birth and a number for a small heard like mine.....such as 2004 calves will be 401,402,etc. 2005 calves will be 501,502 etc. I also like the idea of giving heifers one color and steers/bulls another color.
Question : what type of permanent marker do you use to ensure the marking stays on the tags? I assume a marks-a-lot wont last more than a few months after getting wet. We use paint markers here at the shop to mark our steel parts, but I have never tried it on plastic. What do you use to mark the tags with?

 

[sidney411]

Good Morning Eric!

I mark the calf with the same tag as it's mother but the calf tags are a different color and a little smaller. I use a pen made for marking on ear tags. You can get it at the same place you buy your tags. Tracter supply, feed store, COOP. They are usually by the blank tags. They are called Permanent tag markers and look like a paint marker in that the tip has to be pumped to get the marking fluid flowing. I have had tags in cows that have lasted over 2 years now and they are still good enough to be read easily. I would say the marking will last as long as the tag will.

 

[Dee]

I use Z-tags, and the Z-tag marker. Different color for different year...lilac, hot pink last year, and red for this years calves. The calves are tagged to match mom's tag #, and left for a bull calf, and right ear for a heifer calf. Makes sorting the calves easy for me! If I need to put additional info like if it was a twin, etc., I write on the back of the tag.

 

[txag]

another tip for ear-tagging:

when heifers are bangs vaccinated the vet will tattoo in the middle web of the right ear. we tattoo in the top web of both ears and put tags in the left middle web which leaves the right middle web free for the bangs tattoo......makes the vets a lot happier than having to try to tattoo around a tag!

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

When you guys get your national ID system, if it is anything like ours, you will be required to but your tags 25 at a time with bar codes on them. Alot of guyshave gone to a two tag system, but for me, I buy them pre-stamped and everytime I hit 100, I change colors.

 

[cherokeeruby]

We tag heifer in the left ear for the Bangs tattoo reason also. We tried the blank tags with the permanent market make for the tags but the ink faded after a few years here in Texas.

We now just buy the prenumbered tags and randomly put them in the calves ears and makes notes about which cow it is.

The tags are just temporary for us. Brahmans will get firebranded with a private herd number when they go in for their bangs shot so that number is used for the bangs information.

 

[dun]

In the past we used the standard letter designation for the year and the sequential number of the birth that year for the calf. Bulls right ear, heifers left ear. This year we still tagged the heifers the same way, but the bulls we just gave a blue tag in the right ear with a permanent sequential number. When they head to the feed lot we'll cut off the tag and reuse it next year. (I'm cheap). The markers that come with the tags last several years, by then I know the cow so well they don;t really even need tags, but it does it faded but is still readable up close.

dun

 

[Tod Dague]

I like the Z tags also. They are really good for people who have never tagged before. Had a neighbor rip up some ears a couple of years ago with the button type and now he doesn't tag at all.

I use Z-tags, and the Z-tag marker. Different color for different year...lilac, hot pink last year, and red for this years calves. The calves are tagged to match mom's tag #, and left for a bull calf, and right ear for a heifer calf. Makes sorting the calves easy for me! If I need to put additional info like if it was a twin, etc., I write on the back of the tag.