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Ritchey Ear Tags

S

sic 'em reds

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
623
Location
WA
Well, I am getting sick of the fading numbers on my tags, so I bought a bag of Ritchey's to try out. I bought the blue with black inside. Guess we'll see how they work.

Having to engrave the numbers takes awhile, but hopefully they will show numbers longer!
 
Ritchies tags are readable forever - as long as they don't come off.

We use them on all of our replacement stock, get them from ritchie pre-numbered. We put tags in both ears in case one of them comes off. Kind of nice to go out and see tags that are readable.

We had some allflex tags we put on several years ago. Not a siongle one of them has any sign of a number on them. The guys just say a black cow with two white tags with no numbers!!
 
outrigger said:
the white inside is much better than the black. it is hard to see with the darker colors. JMO
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I agree. We use the blue with white inside, we purchase blank tags so we can put our own numbers and the sire on them. We use a dremel tool. Numbers never fade, just sometimes they lose their tag, that's why we freeze brand our replacement heifers every year.
 
I can see where these blue/black inside will maybe be hard to read if you are a ways off. I'm trying to make the numbers as big as I can.

I am going to put them in my replacement heifers and see how they hold up. I am also going to freeze brand and hopefully that may eliminate my tag readability problem.

BTW, which male buttons do you prefer to use with these tags. That would probably hold them in for me, don't ya think!!!!!!??????!!!!!!!!
 
We have used both blue and red with white inside. Did some blue and black and the white is just easier to read in my opinion.
 
We get 'em pre-numbered for the calves, and then grind on the cow number on top. Large and small tag for each calf. Somehow my mom ended up getting a Ritchey dealership years ago. We buy enough ourselves to hold onto it, besides selling to a few other people.
 
They were great tags but that golf tee pin system didn't seem to work that great. I had Blue on black on about 60 pure bred cows. They weren't that bad to read but I lost quite a few. Had Yellow on black on the commercials and i don't think any are still in a cow.
 
Not to steal the thread, but what tag do you think has the best retention?
I switched from Z tag to allflex years ago and thought they were better,but they last couple of batches you cant read any of them and the retention hasn't been very good either.
 
i think z-tag. they make a little bit bigger hole in the ear after while and then just fall out, but i think they stay in better and you don't have to worry about losing that damn button when tagging
 
I have been using Allflex in cows and Z in calves. I think they might have fixed the problem but I had 2 heighbors who used Ritchey and they had bunches of tags break at the neck. If you feed in bale feeders you have to take the string off if you have button type tags. Yellow tags do not show up the best in Hereford cattle but they never change color. I had cows that were tagged green so the next bunch I put blue in. If one calved at night I couldn't tell which color it was. I found out green color blind is the most common and it is very common with only artificial light.
 
outrigger said:
the ones with the sharp tip on the button
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We use the old-type Ritcheys with no button. We take out the calf ear tag (Z-tag) and put the Ritchey in the hole. (We only do this with our replacement heifers). Less painful and we haven't had much of a problem losing them. We tried button-type Ritcheys one year and they broke off.
 
I really like the z tags, but the ink fades to fast on them. I have lost a couple. The full size cow tags must be a bit too heavy and free moving in a young calfs ear because the ones I lose are from the tag getting the hole opened wide.

So these Ritchey tags with the buttons don't hold up real well, huh? Well, thats not a good feeling, I guess I will see what happens since I made up a bunch of tags already.

Freeze branding is looking more and more appealing. I could probably get one freeze branded faster than I could make up a Ritchey tag anyways!!!!!
 
outrigger said:
i went with the lazer printed z-tags this year.
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I wish they made a Z tag that you could engrave the number into like the Ritcheys-- that would be perfect for me....

I've thought of trying one of those hot iron engravers--engraving the number in and then inking over it--then if the ink wears off- you at least know the number of the cow and could go over it with more ink....
Probably would just poke a hole thru it... :roll: :wink: :lol:
 
Freeze branding is looking more and more appealing. I could probably get one freeze branded faster than I could make up a Ritchey tag anyways!!!!!
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Had a neighbor freeze brand. The first year we had about 4 days of snow right in the middle of calving and he commented that you can't read a freeze brand through a heavy coat of ice.
 

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