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Angus Breeder

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2005
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156
We have been using Allflex tags and are losing to many of them. My only requirement on a tag is that it is extra large and has a pre printed number (ex. R100). We tag our calves at birth with the same number as the dam, and then at weaning they receive a tag that matches the tattoo. The tags that are on 4 and 5 year olds are almost faded so bad I can't read them. I need a tag surface that I can write a sire code above the pre printed number. What has a good retention rate, and a long lasting number burned into it?
 
We have been using Ritchey jumbo tags in the cows for the last five years. Since they are engraved the numbers won't fade retintion has been good even tho they are summered in the timber.The one tag that won't work is the Z tag as they came home with about 10%.
 
We've used the Ritchies for years and really like them. I get the blank ones that you use a dremel tool to engrave your own numbers. Retention seems above average. You can them preprinted and still engrave your sire code. AND...they just sent a new calf book for christmas :) :) I'm easily excited!
 
My sire codes are the tattoo number of the sire. So for example a calf born in 2005 might be tagged R100 and the sire might be Bon View New Design 1407. Can you buy a set of stencils to have a very clean number.
 
I've actually had real good luck with the Z tags, I would say about 98% retention which is about as good as any. We run cattle in some pretty rough country with sagebrush in northern Montana. I suppose in certain conditions they may not work that well. I think they are also one of the easiest and quickest to put on. Tags are never big enough it seems to get all the numbers on that you want, especially when you start talking multiple sires in large herds with one number for the year of birth, need at least a 4 digit number which is hard to hand write on tags very well.
Although we manage to do it, number get close together and real thin.
 
I have used Temple Tags for several decades and they just keep getting better. Retention is great and custom imprinting is reasonable.

I have a problem with the Blue with Black ink my daughter bought last year - - - she is 16 and can read them fine But I N=need to stay with the Red with Black or Yellow with black as my eyes are not as good as they need to be.

Go to www.templetag.com Use the "new style" tagger as it is much better than the old one.

I get mine with my name address and phone number on the back.

I have several cows in their teens with the original tags still - - - after about 6 or 8 years I need to reink them when we are working them any way.
 
Baling wire's comments about the Z tags surprise me. We tried and quit Allflex tags years ago-far too many lost and lots of split ears. We tried several brands and settled on the engravable Ritchies. We had good luck for several years and were fairly satisfied. However they must have changed their tag construction as they started breaking apart and tearing with too high a loss rate! We switched to Z tags and have found they stay in the best of anything we've tried and don't fade too fast. I don't miss engraving the Ritchies(time consuming for PB info ) . Our compulsory ID tags gave me another taste of how crappy Allflex tags are-dozens lost in short time periods- it takes time and is a real hassle to retag animals to sell.We've just done our first RFID tags this year.....they seem to be staying put so far but you do need a dangle tag also for visual information!
 
I freeze brand everything they can't lose that sometimes I need to redo some as they don't take but once they do they are there.I also ear tag them their number also matches the last 3 numbers on their bangs tag all registered cattle #s start with a letter D. I have the vet give me tags that start with the year born for the 3rd to the last # that way they match the birth year.

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we also use the z-tags (one-piece) & have had better retention than with other brands. we also tried the engravable and as cowsense said, a PITA.
 
We used to use Allflex too, but lost far too many tags. Switched to brisket tags, and that works really well. They don't lose them often, but mud can be a problem, and after a few years they do fade.

When the CCIA ID tags came in, we used Reyflex tags. First we used them because the price was so good, but found the retention rate is very high. Now that we're using EID tags, we're still going to stay with the Reyflex. They cost less than a buck, and we're using them as a backup for when the brisket tags fade.

Backup is a brand and a tattoo.

Not that any of it helps in all cases. We had a cow stray this summer that had a brand, tattoo, ID tag, brisket tag, and an old tag from her first owner that had his phone number on it. She has more ID than I do! :shock: She and her calf are both gone. We believe they are gone for good. :( All the ID in the world won't get them back if they are found by someone who's dishonest.
 
I have used the Ritchie engraved tags for many years on my cows. Don't lose many tags and can always read the number. Bangs vaccinated replacement heifers and put in their permanent cow tag saturday.
 
Sagebrush said:
I have used the Ritchie engraved tags for many years on my cows. Don't lose many tags and can always read the number. Bangs vaccinated replacement heifers and put in their permanent cow tag saturday.
Click to expand...

You are smart man for vaccinating your heifers on Saturday. What a nice day it was. We did some last Wednesday, which was also a nice warm day. The other half we were planning to do tomorrow. Brrrrrr! Being a fair-weather cowboy, I plan to call the vet today and reschedule. For one thing, the heifers are about three miles from the corrals. We were planning to trail the heifers over today so they would be handily located for tomorrow. There would be quite a blizzardy wind to face trying to move them today, even though we just have a skiff of snow so far.

We also have had good luck with Ritchey engraved tags for permanent numbers for cows. We usually put in the "permanent" tags on replacement heifers when they are a year and a half of age, at preg-checking time. I also like to put in a small button tag with the same number, in the heifer's other ear. That way if the cow later loses her "permanent" number, usually the small button tag is still in place. By looking at her year brand (on the left shoulder) and checking the small button tag, we can put in another Ritchey tag with the same number. These we grind into the new tag and apply to the cow before she ever leaves the chute.

We are not particularly scientific. If a cow has lost her tag, and we cannot distinguish her bona-fide number, we just give her a generic number. Unless a cow has a particularly bad reputation or a particularly bad calf, if she is pregnant, in good flesh, and has most of her teeth she gets to stay for another year.
 
I don't know if you can get stencils but surely someone in the family has decent handwriting :P If you have alot to do, do them in batches, it does get tiring but I think it's worth it.
 
I would like to number brand the entire cowherd but never seem to get it done. All our calves are tagged at birth with their own lifetime number and year letter (eg. 215R). All heifer calves whether PB or commercials are tattooed with their number prior to weaning. This makes it simpler to replace lost tags anytime through their productive life. Our cattle carry a tag, tattoo and a registered brand for herd ID. We also add a CCIA tag prior to any sales. Works better than my memory by a long shot!
 
We use Z tags at calving and we retain to the end and we may lose 1 or 2 tags a year on those calves. Used to use them on the cows but they fade after 4 or 5 years so now we are using the Ritchie and the dremel tool plus a freeze brand on the replacements. This cow herd had brisket tags when we came here, spent way to much time standing on my head trying to read the tag with the cow blowing snot over her baby in a blizzard. Hate those things. The worst ones are the Life of Cow tag, guaranteed for the life of the cow, if you don't kill her putting them in, you use a broadhead arrow point with a funnel shaped thing that holds the tag. You look like you work for Tyson after putting a few of those in, and by the way, they only last a couple of years but I did not want them replaced :mad:
 
We had a neighbor who lost his life putting in brisket tags. He was using the broadhead arrow applicator and it didn't go completely through with the first thrust. He got on the other side of the heifer, pulled hard, it came through fast and poked into his leg. It hit the main artery, and even with other people there trying to apply direct pressure, he bled to death.
 
Those were the most disgusting things I have ever used on a cow, gave up and quit and the ones we put in all broke apart and fell out. Funny thing, none of those cows ever got even with me for that for some reason. most of them were pets for the rest of their lives and they wore Z tags with a big hole in their brisket till they were all gone. Those were 93 models, due to the drought we sold all of the cows older than 9 last year.
I can see how the applicator could get hurt seriously with those things
 
My aunt in Wilsall loves the brisket tags...Dad and I tried them a long time ago and hated them. Of course we had a Teco chute which makes it impossible to put them in!
 

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