Tagging new calves

[TCRanch]

Bought a bred cow that ate snow for the better part of a week before figuring out the ball waterer.
Named her Dumbo. Then her first calf Dumbbell and the next Dim Wit.

Years ago a little neighbor girl had a nearly pure white holstein bull calf she named Snowball.
Then her brothers steered him and she changed his name to No Balls saying and its maiden name was Snowball.

We missed a nut banding a steer one year, named him One Nut. The vet castrated him, subsequently changing his name to No Nut. Our current bulls are Dick, Johnson & Rod. The implication is a little salty but can I still refer to them in polite company ;-)

 

[callmefence]

LOL - if it's out of my fence, everyone KNOWS where they belong.
I don't think there is a beef animal within 2 miles of my farm. Not that that is very far. Just different areas have different problems. That is NOT one of mine.
Back to the color of my tags, it makes it a lot easier for potential buyers to walk through the herd and eyeball a calf, and whenever we are sorting, it sure is a lot easier for us.

Your right lol different areas have different problems. Anybody round here can tell a steer from a heifer without a tag..lol

 

[TCRanch]

LOL - if it's out of my fence, everyone KNOWS where they belong.
I don't think there is a beef animal within 2 miles of my farm. Not that that is very far. Just different areas have different problems. That is NOT one of mine.
Back to the color of my tags, it makes it a lot easier for potential buyers to walk through the herd and eyeball a calf, and whenever we are sorting, it sure is a lot easier for us.

Each year the calves from the first calf heifers get a different/new color tag: I'll see your yellow & red tags and raise you green, blue, purple, orange, white and next year's calves get pink. After that I've run out of colors so I'll have to start over. But that way I can scan the pasture and see blue tag, right ear: I know it's a steer from a 2011 1st calf heifer. And I know how many steers/heifers I have out of each group so I don't have to walk up & inspect every tag when I'm taking inventory. 506B means it's Squeaker's 5th calf. Anal, much? :hide:

 

[TCRanch]

Explain why you guys tag heifers in one ear and Bulls in the other ?

Only because when we started out that's what our mentor told us to do and we've done it ever since. I have no clue why.

 

[dun]

Explain why you guys tag heifers in one ear and Bulls in the other ?

Only because when we started out that's what our mentor told us to do and we've done it ever since. I have no clue why.

So when we are sorting them we can tell at a glance which are heifers and which are bulls. Easiest way I know to do it.

 

[callmefence]

Explain why you guys tag heifers in one ear and Bulls in the other ?

Only because when we started out that's what our mentor told us to do and we've done it ever since. I have no clue why.

So when we are sorting them we can tell at a glance which are heifers and which are bulls. Easiest way I know to do it.

I can kinda see the logic.
I can't see the logic in not going ahead and writing your phone# on the tag.

 

[VirginiaCattle]

Around here you just pick a different color tthan your neighbors. There aren't a whole lot of people with cattle in my community that aren't family so it isn't so hard.

 

[farmerjan]

Most times when cattle are loose the person finding them can't/won't/doesn't get close enough to see a phone number on an eartag. At least not around here. Color goes a long way because it seems most of us have just always had different colors; just a coincidence since no one has ever said I want white, you get red, joe gets green, etc.. Our adult cows have white or green and the calves don't matter so much since they are usually with the cows. One guy that borders one of our rented places has red and another has yellow so there is little discrepancy. If there are loose cattle we get called most every time, even when we stopped using a pasture, we will get called a year or two later. Kinda a joke but a real pain sometimes. Still, I always go check even when I am very sure they aren't ours, just in case I do know who they might belong to and hope that someone down the road will do the same favor for us.

A friend used to write the number of the dam on the tag, used all white and so he put heifers in one ear and bulls in the other ear so make sorting easier at a glance also. I tend to put the tags in the right ear and my son puts them in the left ear and we are both right handed but I usually have to straddle a calf in the field or even sit on it and am more coordinated with my right hand. He seems to be more comfortable putting it in the left ear when they go through the chute as it is the side that is more accessible.

 

[VirginiaCattle]

Most times when cattle are loose the person finding them can't/won't/doesn't get close enough to see a phone number on an eartag. At least not around here. Color goes a long way because it seems most of us have just always had different colors; just a coincidence since no one has ever said I want white, you get red, joe gets green, etc.. Our adult cows have white or green and the calves don't matter so much since they are usually with the cows. One guy that borders one of our rented places has red and another has yellow so there is little discrepancy. If there are loose cattle we get called most every time, even when we stopped using a pasture, we will get called a year or two later. Kinda a joke but a real pain sometimes. Still, I always go check even when I am very sure they aren't ours, just in case I do know who they might belong to and hope that someone down the road will do the same favor for us.

A friend used to write the number of the dam on the tag, used all white and so he put heifers in one ear and bulls in the other ear so make sorting easier at a glance also. I tend to put the tags in the right ear and my son puts them in the left ear and we are both right handed but I usually have to straddle a calf in the field or even sit on it and am more coordinated with my right hand. He seems to be more comfortable putting it in the left ear when they go through the chute as it is the side that is more accessible.

I agree with most of what you say. Color among neighbors is the most important. Always check for your neighbor's cattle and hope they'll do the same.

I always put my tags in the left ear. If I'm being attacked or the calf rips their ear it'll end up right. I like the consistancy though.

This year I started putting different colored tags in males and females so when they are running straight on in the pen I can sort them.

I've gotten about 5% wrong in the rush to not be injured. I expect that to get better over timr.

 

[Till-Hill]

Explain why you guys tag heifers in one ear and Bulls in the other ?

I've always done it for vet. Heifers get calfhood vac'd in right ear, steers get implants in left. No tag for vet to fight.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Explain why you guys tag heifers in one ear and Bulls in the other ?

I've always done it for vet. Heifers get calfhood vac'd in right ear, steers get implants in left. No tag for vet to fight.

We used to put a lot of steers & bulls on test. The facility added their own tags and preferred putting them in on the left side. We wanted our tags left in, so we put them in the right side.
Heifers - same reason for vet.
And yes, everyone can tell the diff between male & female, but when they are looking at you, it gets a little tough to determine sex by their eyeballs. Everyone that walks thru my herd appreciates the different colors. Just faster & easier.

 

[Till-Hill]

Explain why you guys tag heifers in one ear and Bulls in the other ?

I've always done it for vet. Heifers get calfhood vac'd in right ear, steers get implants in left. No tag for vet to fight.

We used to put a lot of steers & bulls on test. The facility added their own tags and preferred putting them in on the left side. We wanted our tags left in, so we put them in the right side.
Heifers - same reason for vet.
And yes, everyone can tell the diff between male & female, but when they are looking at you, it gets a little tough to determine sex by their eyeballs. Everyone that walks thru my herd appreciates the different colors. Just faster & easier.

I should have added we also do a different color for males and females too. I have mostly part time free friend help with cows, makes sorting pairs a lot easier! And calf # matches it's dam!

 

[redandblack]

We put our phone#, our name, then a number that correlates back to the damn, ex cow 1 calf would be 101 and so forth if they are replacements after back grounding they get a cow tag from 1-99 next number up kind of deal. Besides what others have said if you have numerous pastures and don't keep your whole herd together all year, it would be a wreck to pair calfs up when you bring 40-50 pairs in and sort to go to different pastures.

 

[snoopdog]

Heifers in the right ear, (why?, because women are always right , easy to remember for all), cow# and dob. Haven't done any in the field with my new herd, mommas ain't having it and I don't like pain. Maybe why the hired hand hasn't done it.

 

[Gators Rule]

My PB Simmental cows are tagged with yellow tags, Simangus with pink, and commercial cows with orange, all in left ear. First letter of year, then mother's number l, followed by mothers year of birth. If mom was X35, her 2017 calf would be E35X, regardless if purebred or commercial.

 

[skyhightree1]

My name should have been the caregiver instead high point We now have six calves and only three are tagged thanks to the cow hand. This is my first year and I have wondered why the tags. Right now it is impossible to tell who is exactly the mom of two of them because two nurse the same cow. Can you share with this newby why this is so important.

I'm hoping no question is too stupid.

You are a NEWBY and have a cowhand.. Must be nice I been fooling with cattle off and on all my life and still don't have a " cow hand " .

 

[1982vett]

My name should have been the caregiver instead high point We now have six calves and only three are tagged thanks to the cow hand. This is my first year and I have wondered why the tags. Right now it is impossible to tell who is exactly the mom of two of them because two nurse the same cow. Can you share with this newby why this is so important.

I'm hoping no question is too stupid.

You are a NEWBY and have a cowhand.. Must be nice I been fooling with cattle off and on all my life and still don't have a " cow hand " .

Either you don't have enough cows or you need a better day job... :lol: ..... maybe quit messing with them hogs too.... :shock:

 

[skyhightree1]

My name should have been the caregiver instead high point We now have six calves and only three are tagged thanks to the cow hand. This is my first year and I have wondered why the tags. Right now it is impossible to tell who is exactly the mom of two of them because two nurse the same cow. Can you share with this newby why this is so important.

I'm hoping no question is too stupid.

You are a NEWBY and have a cowhand.. Must be nice I been fooling with cattle off and on all my life and still don't have a " cow hand " .

Either you don't have enough cows or you need a better day job... :lol: ..... maybe quit messing with them hogs too.... :shock:

:tiphat: :clap:

 

[Highpoint]

You are a NEWBY and have a cowhand.. Must be nice I been fooling with cattle off and on all my life and still don't have a " cow hand " .

Either you don't have enough cows or you need a better day job... :lol: ..... maybe quit messing with them hogs too.... :shock:

:tiphat: :clap:

I am really in charge of the accounting for construction company and set up books for trucking company that is now working out of state. 60 employees. My son a few years ago added the cattle. His ranch hand also does the welding for the company and yes you are absolutely correct that a ranch with this few of cattle would never produce income to pay without a niche market. No unlike me they are not into organics or anything close. Father-in-law has 5000 acres and has raised cattle for 45 years and most ranchers around here work together if someone needs to burn etc. it is fun to watch.

I am at an age that I am tired of seeing young boys drop dead of heart attacks and cancer of all kinds. I studied health for last 12 years and seen my daughter through stage 4 throat cancer no chemo and husband heart attack. You can drive around this county and 90 percent of the farmers have non Hoskins lymphoma or other cancers.

I have much to learn about cattle but the goal is to produce the healthiest then butcher for family and others if possible. I'll try to use the word helper next time but he is the one with the horse.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

. You can drive around this county and 90 percent of the farmers have non Hoskins lymphoma or other cancers.

My brother-in-law had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma of the stomach back in 2013. Was told he had a 20% chance of survival, so he went for it. He's still around to today, looks better than he did when he was diagnosed.

Where are you located? What state?