Managing Livestock: Identification Adv Animal Science Sources: Oklahoma State University Extension Duncan Emrich

Types of Marking Permanent Brands Tattoos Microchips Ear Notching

Types of Marking Temporary Wax crayon/chalk Ear tag Leg band Paint

Ear Tags Identification Systems Bangs Vaccinated Tags – Verification of vaccination for brucellosis

Branding Many types of branding Hot iron branding – Fire/iron – Electrical Freeze branding Paint branding

Branding Why branding? Permanent marking system to identify ownership Allowed cattle to be sorted out if they became mixed up (open range, etc)

Branding History 4,000 year old art shows Egyptians branding Brought to US by Spaniards in 1600’s Brand registration began in 1870’s Mavericks

Branding Which type is better? – Freeze causes least damage and is permanent, but doesn’t work on white cattle – Hot iron is permanent but can damage hide, hurt animal – Paint is not permanent

Branding How do you read a brand? 1)Left-to-right 2)Top-to-bottom 3)Outside-in

Branding Placement - Cattle – Shoulder – Rib – Hip – Left or Right Other species – Horses: jaw and above – Sheep: jaw or nose

Branding Key to Brand Design – Easy to read – Simple has best results – Connection to ranch/business/etc

Branding