Ear Tags for Highland Cattle

We are at the point where we need to purchase new ear tags for the coming season. Over the last three years we have taken 3 steers to be butchered. Of the three two did not have an intact ear tag. One was missing completely and the electronic was later found near the feeding troughs. One we took this week had the back part in the ear, but not the electronic front portion. Highlanders have a lot of hair in the ear so seeing a tiny tag without restraining the animal is next to impossible. Seeing the back portion is not easy either because as soon as you stand behind the critter flattens the ears to the next to listen for your movements. We have a cow here that lost her bar code tag recently after 14 years and would like tags that stay where they are put. We're just wondering what other members have experienced with the radio tags.

We probably loose about 5-10 tags a month! Every time before we milk test our cows I walk through the herd and make my list of who lost their tags. I then give my list to the tester and she orders the new tags for me which are replaced free of charge. I don't think they make the tags to last long enough, those stems just break. We've had the Alflex guys out here twice already and they tell us it was a bad batch of tags. Seems to be a lot of bad batches?!? Since the eartags are our registration numbers we have a tag in each ear so even if a cow looses one she still has a second one to ID her to her pedigree. Are your tags for registration or just for government purposes?
We have similar issues with visibility of the tags with our Brown Swiss. They have huge ears and hair in their ears too. We put in Extra Large RFID Panel tags into them. It looks funny when they are little but they grown into their tags.

I just heard of this, I know it's not what you're asking, but what about a brisket tag? I'm not sure if it would be lost behind the fur though...

Our tags are a government requirement with the location allowed in either ear. Our cattle are tattooed for in the other ear for registration purposes and the bulls are DNA registered as well. It is our practice to tattoo all our cattle even if they are going to be registered.

Oh! alright then

In Ontario cattle only need to be tagged to move off the farm so why not just put the tags in when you load them up? Unless the rules are different in BC.

While we only need to tag when the cattle are moved off the farm it is much easier to tag shortly after the calves are born. We also must tattoo prior to the registered animals being sold or before 8 months of age. Being a small farm with only a handful of cattle we do not have restraining equipment. When we it try to ear tag a mature cow (she had an obsolete bar code tag) the plastic points on the tags bent leaving us with several electronic buttons with no attaching portion.

I hear you, I do all mine within the first few days of life too. Brown Swiss hate having their ears touched to begin with. Trying to get a tag into a cow can be a challenge even if you are just putting a new tag into the old hole. I'm sure glad mine don't have those huge horns yours do! If the plastic tag is bending on you maybe your pin in your tagger is too short?

The horns are never really a problem although I'm careful while they are eating. The halter trained ones will let you lead them by hanging onto a horn. The only time we have had the points bend is when we needed to tag an older animal.

Maybe ask Heda? I know I double tag mine. Large tag with the number on the front and back of the same tag. The electronic ones always seem to fall out after a while.

pfarms wrote:Maybe ask Heda?

Not that his makes any difference, but the missing tag was a Heda tag. She uses a management tag that was still in the other ear.

LOL!

Sorry I've been away for a bit, just catching up now.

I don't have that much trouble with RFID tags. I guess only about 1 in 10 steers have lost their tags by the time they go to the butcher. It seems once their horns are long enough it is quite difficult for them to rub their ears. Like you I tag early when it is easy to restrain the calf. I do try to place the tag as close to the head as possible, still in between the two big vessels in the ear.

When I take steers in I generally just look for the backing on the tag but last year I found out just because the back is there doesn't mean the front (with the radio frequency unit in it) is there too. So now I feel - get the animal in a small pen and do it as part of a "head rub".

Bulls are some of the worst for losing tags - I think because they seem to be itchier than others. The trick to putting in a new tag is to be as quick as possible. If you can use the old tag hole it clicks a little easier and is a little less of a struggle.

My older cow will all have to be retagged when they leave the ranch - they are all wearing outdated tags - I HATE this - I do what is required then a few years afterwards the requirments change. With the sheep I've even had to buy a whole new tagging unit.

As you know I always double tag my cattle - one required RFID tag, one dangle tag with the tattoo code on it so if the RFID is missing I have no doubt who it is. Now I'm up to 50 breeding cows some of the young stock looks VERY different after a summer in the mountains - i'd be totally confused without the dangle tags (and of course my index book of who is who and who da mama is...)

We've decided here that when we ship for butchering we are going to send along extra tags just in case. We don't double tag because we have only a couple new calves per year that are often not the same gender or of a different colour.

The inspector warns me that if the tag isn't in the ear the fines apply. Apparently a lot of small operators weren't tagging their cows, just dropping off a bag of tags with the animals at the butcher. But the last time the front part of the tag was missing he did give me a break and I dropped off a new complete tag without being fined.

heda gobbler wrote:But the last time the front part of the tag was missing he did give me a break and I dropped off a new complete tag without being fined.

Probably the same inspector gave us the same break, but it was a long trip on winter roads last Tuesday. There is a complaint form on the livestock identification website. Missing ear tags has been an issue big enough for the Western Producer to publish reports.

I read that - but don't know what else they can do. Even microchips can move around and then we'd all have to have readers to make sure. Other than that... go back to brands but make them 12 digit like the tags?

Exactly!

I'm glad we don't have brands which came with their own problems.  I wonder if the tags are cheaply made.  Maybe we need someone to invent an effective DNA reader.

heda gobbler wrote:I read that

A sure sign of old age.  By the way we took 10 pigs for butchering that in every ways were a joy to raise.  A happy gang that greeted us every morning and I sure miss them.  It is a good thing we went last weekend as the creek is now flooding their shed and yard.  We also took a nice steer.  At home we have 4 Blue Slate and 4 Beltsvilles.  Two males of each which gives us turkeys for Easter.  In addition we have 4 Chanticlers-3 pullets and 1 rooster.  All of these were acquired from Heda Gobbler.

[quote="rosewood"]I'm glad we don't have brands which came with their own problems.  I wonder if the tags are cheaply made.  Maybe we need someone to invent an effective DNA reader.

heda gobbler wrote:I read that

A sure sign of old age.  By the way we took 10 pigs for butchering that in every ways were a joy to raise.  A happy gang that greeted us every morning and I sure miss them.  It is a good thing we went last weekend as the creek is now flooding their shed and yard.  We also took a nice steer.  At home we have 4 Blue Slate and 4 Beltsvilles.  Two males of each which gives us turkeys for Easter.  In addition we have 4 Chanticlers-3 pullets and 1 rooster.  All of these were acquired from Heda Gobbler.[/quote

Doesn't she have just wonderful animals, Rosewood. I love all the animals I've acquired off her.

I'm glad they've worked out well for you both! Unfortunately sometimes it takes some time to get the fences and pens right - but once you are set up right it can be really fun. I spend a lot of time with my animals and am always happy when they go to good homes, where they will be appreciated on the ground and on the dinner plate!

I should make an appointment for a steer or two to go to the butcher too.

How big were the pigs Rosewood?

heda gobbler wrote:How big were the pigs Rosewood?

We don't have the weights back yet, but they were much bigger than last years (6 weeks older). A predominately black male was the biggest followed by a similar female.

The Chanties and turkeys look real nice. I'll do some photos soon if the camera survives the Christmas concerts featuring 3 grandkids.