Freeze branding questions

[Rangenerd]

I am thinking about freeze branding my replacement heifers. I have never tried this before so I have a few questions. Here is some background. I will be branding about 55 heifers. They will weigh between 550 and 600 lbs. We have good working facilities. I have read lots of litrature, so I understand the basics.

1) Am I better off using dry ice/alcohol, or should I try to get some liquid nitrogen. What are the advantages to each? Cost? How fast do each method gas off? How much am I going to need?

2) Everything that I read talked about branding cows. Do I need to adjust the iron contact time for heifers?

3) What are the tricks that people have picked up?

 

[marimus]

1) Am I better off using dry ice/alcohol, or should I try to get some liquid nitrogen. What are the advantages to each? Cost? How fast do each method gas off? How much am I going to need?

The colder you get your "irons" the faster you can go. Basically liquid nitrogen will get you done in half the time. I have no idea how much it costs though, as I always "borrow" a little from my chem lab

 

[MillIronQH]

The only problem I see with freeze branding is they can be concealed, especially I think on black cattle, with a little hair dye.

I do this all the time on my red roan stud when we go to a show. He's hot branded on the left hip with his breeders brand which I am derned proud to show off but he has a freeze brand on his left shoulder from the outfit I got him from. That outfit has a real bad rep with the AQHA and alot of people and I don't want either of us associated with that brand in the arena.

I think I'd hot brand the cows and any hickey you might take in the sale pen is less then the cost of the cow if she's stolen.Z

 

[LonghornRanch]

I freeze branded one of my cows with the freeze brand I use on horses. It works, but it's not that great. Too much trouble in my opinion. A hot brander is fast, easy and cheap.

 

[IluvABbeef]

My two cents:
you can hot iron brand white-haired cattle, but you can't freeze brand them.

 

[Rangenerd]

My cattle are all black angus. I am planning to number brand them so I know what the cow is when there ear tag falls out. I don't think a freeze brand is a legal ownership brand here in California, but I could be wrong. Thanks for the input.