Ear Tags

[jtsummie]

I was wondering how many of you use ear tags and how do you use them.
ie: year on one ear & individual cow # on other.
only one tag then just record numbers?

[randiliana]

We just use one tag. They get an individual #, which we will reuse as we cycle cows out of and into the herd. Then the # is recorded both on an individual card for the cow, and into my computer program.

I just start with the #1 and work my way up. Some #'s may not have a cow at any given time, but as we bring cattle in, or the replacements get put into the herd we fill in any empty #'s.

Calves are tagged with the same # as their mom, and will keep that # until they are either sold, or we give them a herd # if they are replacements. This makes it very easy to know what cow you are looking for if you have a sick calf (or vice versa), or to sort pairs that are going to different pastures.

[rancher1913]

I use a single tag, cows get a number and calfs get mothers #, birth date, and brand. some people use a tag in each ear in case one falls out you still know number--but thats mostly for 1000 cow heards and such. you will need to buy a tagger to install them and I prefer the tag on the inside of the ear with the button on the back of the ear. try to miss the main veins and the quicker you do it the less pain to the animal. you can get blank tags and a tag marker and put anything you want on the tag that way. my cows also get a metal tag with their number and my name, those are next to impossible for the cow to lose.

[commonsense]

Does anyone just tattoo their cows' ears and forego the tags?

[dosthouhavemilk]

Our cattle are not tagged, nor are our goats. They are tattooed. We don't even allow them to put the Bangs tags in their ears.
We run dairy cattle though.

[sammyd]

3 digit numbers (or 4 if you have lots of animals) 1st number being the year second 2 being the order in which the animal was born.
903 would be the third animal born in the year ending in 9 or 2009 works well if you don't keep your animals longer than 10 years. If you do then you need to use different colored tags every 10 years.

[Oxankle]

All on one tag; year and birth order in herd on one line.
Dam number second line
Sire on reverse side of tag

The year and birth order, plus our surname initial, is our tattoo.
Ox

[Ken Scharabok]

Since I'm now down to a small 'hobby' herd I know the cows more by name than an ear tag number. Unless it were an exceptional situation, I no longer grow out my own heifers to calving. Unless the cow is identifyable (e.g., black cow with white spot above tailhead), they, and calf, get tagged when going to the livestock barn as a possible cow/calf pair. E.g., calf #13 belongs to cow #92.

[francismilker]

I prefer to use a single tag in the right ear. On cows they are issued a two digit number. I keep information about that cow on my Excel spreadsheet and as well keep a 3X5 card on every cow's vaccination and calving. For a heifer that is born and kept, I repeat her dam's number and then use a dash and two digit birth year. This helps me at a glance recognize mother/daughter relationship. I also keep a 3X5 on these heifer calves as well over the course of their lifetime. It's easy for me with a massive herd of ten milk cows!!!! But, for the beef cows I keep in the pasture I don't worry about tagging them. I brand instead.