TexasBred
Well-known member
I quit tagging anything. Every cow is different, every calf is different. Just gotta pay a lot of attention to them. Learned this milking Holsteins.
How do you do it?
- Thread starter Vetrock
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
JMJ Farms
Well-known member
TexasBred":20bfsost said:
I agree. But I still tag at birth. Biggest reason I tag them is when you have a controlled breeding season and you've got 30-40 solid black calves within 6 weeks of each other it's dang hard to keep up with who's who. Especially in winter when I'm feeding right before or sometimes after dark.
All is well unless one is a little sick acting and you want to check him again in the morning or some scenario like that. I could manage without tags but sometimes they really help.
Ranch7DK
Member
Late jumping in here, I just joined: Sorry to hear about your dad.
We use the smaller tags at first for our calves AND color code them. (Pink and Blue) We also use a paint pen to write the moma's number on the front and back of the calf tag. That way you can read it coming and going, just like all the moma cows. IF they are keepers, we change the tag our to a larger one. I have been thinking of adding the birth date to calf tag - just for faster reference in the field. I am thinking as I walk around checking the herd I can compare them with each other as they grow without have to reference back. We have a small herd, so I like to take notes and see if there are any patterns. This helps to know also if a cow lets other babies nurse - in case I need her to nurse a orphan.
We use the smaller tags at first for our calves AND color code them. (Pink and Blue) We also use a paint pen to write the moma's number on the front and back of the calf tag. That way you can read it coming and going, just like all the moma cows. IF they are keepers, we change the tag our to a larger one. I have been thinking of adding the birth date to calf tag - just for faster reference in the field. I am thinking as I walk around checking the herd I can compare them with each other as they grow without have to reference back. We have a small herd, so I like to take notes and see if there are any patterns. This helps to know also if a cow lets other babies nurse - in case I need her to nurse a orphan.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
I tag heifers in left with red, bulls in right with yellow.
I put month & date on top of tag, almost in the "stem", then the sire, then the number for the calf in big bold print. Each calf has a number corresponding to dam and year letter. Like 1F, 204F - F is for 2018. Next year will be G. This in the letter code used by most breed associations. You do not use I, O, Q or V.
If I purchase a female, she gets a yellow tag in the left ear. That way, when people walk thru my herd, they can see which cows were purchased - all other females have red tags. (BTW - my farm colors are red & yellow
)
I put month & date on top of tag, almost in the "stem", then the sire, then the number for the calf in big bold print. Each calf has a number corresponding to dam and year letter. Like 1F, 204F - F is for 2018. Next year will be G. This in the letter code used by most breed associations. You do not use I, O, Q or V.
If I purchase a female, she gets a yellow tag in the left ear. That way, when people walk thru my herd, they can see which cows were purchased - all other females have red tags. (BTW - my farm colors are red & yellow
)
