What age for ear tags?

[mailman]

Hello, can anyone tell me what age to apply ear tags? I found several sources online, and even in a book that tell me how easy it is to apply ear tags, but none of the sources says at what age (earliest preferably) should I apply the tags. Thank you in advance.....Dennis

[rhjacobi]

Hi Dennis,

If you can keep track of them, there is no hurry. I generally don't tag them in the first day or two, but you could and you can tag them up into adult hood. We tag them as close to birth as possible so we can keep track of things. When it really gets heavy into kidding, we write the dam's number on their back with black magic marker (it only lasts a few days) and then get them tagged as soon as possible.

Bob
Lynchburg, TN.

Originally Posted by mailman

Hello, can anyone tell me what age to apply ear tags? I found several sources online, and even in a book that tell me how easy it is to apply ear tags, but none of the sources says at what age (earliest preferably) should I apply the tags. Thank you in advance.....Dennis

[Ken in Maine]

Our kidding procedure includes ear tagging. When the kids are born they get cleaned up... navels dipped in 7% iodine.. 1/2 cc Bo-Se ... weighed ... ear tagged and photographed. We ear tag right away because it is VERY difficult to tell them apart after even a few hours. The tattooing comes later but because we register our goats it is IMPERATIVE we get the right goat with the right numbers!