looking for cattle tag that really work

[Rangenerd]

I need some help. I can't find a cattle number tag that really works. The main problems I have with the tags are,

1) Keeping them in the cows ears. After a year or so, the buttons break and let the tag fall out. A tag does no good if it is lying on the ground.

And

2) the number fade out.

I have tried Y-tex, Allflex, and duflex tags. The Y-tex are the worst at fading while the duflex buttons break the quickest.

 

[certherfbeef]

With this year's calves we are going to the engravable tags. Here is a link.
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... b0d0204ae5
And a link to the tool that puts the number on the tag.
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... ccd=IFF003
Takes some pratice to get it right.

May try the y-tex tag. I have a bull and a cow that came with those tags in their ears. Both are 3 years old and are faded but still in the ear.
Also, the more ink on the tag the longer the number will last.
Just write on the tags the night before you want to work cattle.

 

[msscamp]

Check around and see if any feed/farm supply companies offer custom made tags. The local co-op will custom number tags - the total cost is somewhere around 2.00/tag, I believe. They don't fade for many years and we haven't had a problem with them being lost, either.

 

[llcupit]

Use Y-Tex and ink pen and number my own. Last 5 and 6 years most of the time.

 

[Farminlund]

I purchased a number of these tags recently. Have no experience with them as of yet. There is still the button breakage problem but I usually find the tag in the pasture anyhow so, reattach is not an issue. Fading has been the main issue with me as it is hard to ink it in & have it last more than about a year. Since these are laminated, there should be no fade.

http://www.caltaginc.com/

 

[randiliana]

I use Y-tex tags, for retention I love them. The only time we have a cow lose one is if she rips her ear out, or if twine cuts the button out. As for having them not fade, I use the bottled ink, and write up my own, they don't ever fade. Marker will though.

 

[*Cowgirl*]

We use Z tags. They have to be remarked every ....5 or so years. They usually only come out if a cow rips her ear.

 

[dun]

We've used the duflex and it's variations from different manufacturers, z-tags, and the flat one that has the pice like an arrow head that goes through the ear.
Ours are all hand numbered so they do fade after a few years. I haven;t seen a nickles worth of difference in the retention. Seems that some years we'll loose a couple of one type then not loose one for a couple of years but we'll loose a different type the next go round.

dun

 

[cfpinz]

I use the Allflex tags. A few years back they changed their number style and tag shape. We have lost considerably less since then and they don't fade like they used to.

cfpinz

 

[ENNOT]

We have used the Y-Tex, Z tags, and Allflex tags. It's hard to say which ones are best. I do like the z tags because if they fall out, they don't rip the ear. We had a couple calves last year where their ears were real small at birth and the weight of the tag caused the hole to wear out a little too big, and then they fell out. At that point we used an Allflex tag with a button.

We hand write all of our numbers on. If you start a couple weeks before calving writing the numbers on, you can get multiple layers of ink on with a pen.

Also fearing ink works real well for visual retention. It can be a pain to write on the tag with due to the clumsiness of the bottle.

 

[sackshowcattle]

I have tried everything from all flex to the ritchie engraveable to now the z tag. but what I do is partially engrave the z tag so even if the ink fades you still see the number that was on it. The z tags being one piece the only time I see one lost is if the ear rips out. I have a 10 year old cow with a z tag still in place. My next step will probably be freeze brand the number of the cows I know I will retain on the hip. That way I have a permenant white tag on the hip and the hide is not damaged.
The other route I have thought about going is putting a tattoo in the ear but those are hard to read some times and it would mean bringing them back in every time they lose a tag.

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

I think I've used just about every kind of hanging ear tag in existence, and simply gave up trying to find an ear tag that would stay put. The tags either snagged on feeders or snagged on trees and broke or tore out. These days, I use Ketchum steel ear tags on the calves, and the retained animals get brisket tagged. No loss, no more goofing around.

Rod