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IluvABbeef · Aug 14, 2007

I don't really pay much attention to show animals, other than to just look at them, but I was asked by someone about eartags. Said that some had them and others don't, and I started thinking do animals get docked if they have eartags or does it really matter if they have them or not?

Thanks

karlie45 · Aug 14, 2007

In my experience, it doesnt matter.

Colorado2008 · Aug 14, 2007

IluvABbeef":39jjp97y said:
I don't really pay much attention to show animals, other than to just look at them, but I was asked by someone about eartags. Said that some had them and others don't, and I started thinking do animals get docked if they have eartags or does it really matter if they have them or not?

Thanks

Usually eartags are a way of positivly identifying the calf. Our county fair uses eartags that say "Elbert County Fair" on the back as well as a tatoo in the opposite ear. In this way, they can tell if the steer has been switched for another. They are most of the time looked over or just as another part of the calf. But, I have actually seen a judge in a showmanship class comment on how dirty the eartag was.

SKF Show Cattle · Aug 14, 2007

If they are not reg. you usually need them for ID. I know that all the fairs we show at require it for all market animals that you are selling and the fair does the tagging at the inital weigh-in.

Keren · Aug 15, 2007

All our calves get tagged at birth, with both their individual ID tag and also the NLIS tag. The ones we take to shows (breeding stock) we generally cut their individual ID tags out, just for cosmetics. But I have seen people show with tag in too. Of course we have to have the NLIS tags but we tend to put them fairly far down in the ear so they're not as noticable.

With steers, we cut their tags out and depending on the show, either have specific tags sent out to us and we put them in, or the steers get tagged when they go to weighing and scanning at the show.