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what do you put on your cattle tags?

A

Angus Cattle Shower

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I put the numerical order the calf was born (ie, 1) year letter, (next year is T) Dam's tag number, sire's initals, gender, and if it is a pure angus at the top I put FPA (Flying P Angus) or if it is commercial, it says, FPCC (Flying P Cattle Co). In the bottom right hand corner, I put the brand, Flying P. (P over lazy 3/wings.)

What's everyone else's system?
 
just the date and mammas tag #

if it is a twin I mark that
i like the 'keep it simple stupid' method
 
We just put on the cows number. Nothing else. They stay on their mommas through the winter, and when the steers get sold, we cut the tags out and put in CCIA Radio Frequency tags before they leave the ranch. As the heifers develop, we know which ones we'll keep and which we'll sell, so the keepers get their own new number, and the sellers get a RFID tag like the steers.

The cow herd is all in sequence; as in 1N, 2C, 3C, 4K, 5N, 6H and so on. So new heifers get to be whatever numbers are available. If 24L dies this year, then a replacement heifer taking her place this year will be 24S.
 
We generally mirror the momma cows tag. If sh doesn't have a tag we look for a FB or some other distinctive marking, write NT1 or something like that and record it in the book so we know who is who... Have about 20-30 head I need to retag this winter.. Maybe it is not that many but I am sureit is at least 10... Drives me nuts.

We generally write date on back and if it is a twin, say out of cow 128 we will write 128T on the second calf's tag.. Have thought about switching to just counting them 1, 2, 3 and so on but decided that it would be harder ot pair them up if we did that.
 
we number the calves as they hit the ground, 1st calf is # 1, second calf is #2, and so on, put the cows freezebrand number on the top of the tag. We also use an individual color for each sire so it is easier to see what sires are really working well for us. Then the replacements just get the year in front of their tag number, for example the first calf born in 2006 was calf # 1, her new number after she is weaned is 601.
 
Our tags have our ranch name across the bottom so we lost some room. We use a number and an alpha for the year and then order of birth. This year starts with 701T, then 702T, and so on. I think next year, since I have tags made up already, that I will drop the alpha on the tag to be able to make larger numbers. Then on the regstration info I can add the alpha back on.

All other details are kept in my pocketbook and then put in our herd database on the computer. Otherwise the tag gets hard to read.
 
I tag them like the heifer I posted. She is 26S . S is the letter for 2006. 26 is the 26th calf born. I put her sire in one bottom corner and dam in the other. DOB in the top middle. I don't retag. I usually put another tag in the right ear after calfhooding that matches the left ear in case they lose one.
 
Same here-- cows # and above that in smaller figures the brand the calf will be packing- do both front and back of tag-- heifers tagged in the left ear- bulls/steers in the right ear......Been using the large tag since my eyes aren't as quick focussing as they used to be....
 
I am looking for some ideas also. My system works pretty good until about the third generation.

DOB
Individuals number. ie.. 20A. 20 is the dam, A is her 1st calf. 20B would be her second calf. After several generations I end up with 20 ACB. Which would be the 2nd calf of the 3rd calf of 20's 1st calf. AS you can see I need to do something different. I do like keeping the dam's number on the tag. I find that after several generations of culling my best cows numbers are becoming more frequent in the herd.
Sire
 
We use a 4 digit numbering system. First digit is year born. Last three numbers is calf number. Spring calves start with 001 and fall born calves start with 501.

So 6001 would be 1st calf born in spring 2006 and 6550 would be 50th calf born in fall 2006.

We put that number in bigest letters at bottom of tag. Above that we put dams number and above that is sire number. Duplicate tag is in other ear to cover lost tags.

Have tried lots of different tags and none seem to last as long as they should.

Johnny
 
IL Rancher said:
We generally mirror the momma cows tag. If sh doesn't have a tag we look for a FB or some other distinctive marking, write NT1 or something like that and record it in the book so we know who is who... Have about 20-30 head I need to retag this winter.. Maybe it is not that many but I am sureit is at least 10... Drives me nuts.

We generally write date on back and if it is a twin, say out of cow 128 we will write 128T on the second calf's tag.. Have thought about switching to just counting them 1, 2, 3 and so on but decided that it would be harder ot pair them up if we did that.
Click to expand...

I used the NT idea last year, had a horned and a polled mamma. so we had NTH and NTP on the calf....father in law saw that and asked what the hell I used for a system.....
 
jigs said:
IL Rancher said:
We generally mirror the momma cows tag. If sh doesn't have a tag we look for a FB or some other distinctive marking, write NT1 or something like that and record it in the book so we know who is who... Have about 20-30 head I need to retag this winter.. Maybe it is not that many but I am sureit is at least 10... Drives me nuts.

We generally write date on back and if it is a twin, say out of cow 128 we will write 128T on the second calf's tag.. Have thought about switching to just counting them 1, 2, 3 and so on but decided that it would be harder ot pair them up if we did that.
Click to expand...

I used the NT idea last year, had a horned and a polled mamma. so we had NTH and NTP on the calf....father in law saw that and asked what the hell I used for a system.....
Click to expand...

We have a cow that every year her calf gets NENT on its tag. This signifies that the mother has No Ears No Tail. :wink:
 
We have a complicated system, but it works well after you get the hang of it. We use several different colors of Z tags on the calves. Each tag has a chronological number on top, which designates in which order the calf was born. Our Spearhead brand is in the middle, and the bottom number corresponds with the cow's number. All of the first calf heifers' calves get a red tag. All of the second and third calf black cows' calves get a green tag. All older Angus cows' calves get a yellow tag. All of the black baldy cows' calves get a blue tag. Solid red cows' calves are tagged with a white tag, and red baldy cows' calves get pink tags.

When we tagged our coming-two-year olds with their permanent number recently, each heifer got a three digit number in the right ear. We also gave the same number on a small button tag in the left ear so hopefully she can retain the same identity if the big number falls out. We also left their original calf tag in the left ear, so we'd maybe remember something about the mother.

If we keep more than a hundred heifers, we still use a three digit number and just use more than one color of tag. All the heifers' calves will get a red tag. If the mother has a yellow tag, the calf's tag will be red, and the bottom number will read Y535. If the mother has a blue tag, the calf will get a red tag, and the bottom number will read B524, etc.

Tags are a nuisance, but it is more of a nuisance not to have them.
 
Hey Soapweed, do you use tattoo's in the ear? I realize that you can't see a tattoo from afar but it would atleast let you retag the animal with the same "permanent" number that you tagged her with.

We tattoo each animal with their own number then tag them with the same number. If they loose the tag I can atleast look at the tattoo at work p and figure out who she is.

Just an empty thought.
 
cert said:
Hey Soapweed, do you use tattoo's in the ear? I realize that you can't see a tattoo from afar but it would atleast let you retag the animal with the same "permanent" number that you tagged her with.

We tattoo each animal with their own number then tag them with the same number. If they loose the tag I can atleast look at the tattoo at work p and figure out who she is.

Just an empty thought.
Click to expand...

The button works a little bit like a tattoo. You can't read it until the cow is captured in a chute, but if she has lost her big numbered tag, the number on the button can be read and a new big tag given. We use the Ritchey layered tags, and just grind a new number at the time.

Another thing we sometimes do, is to cross reference the bangs tag that the vet puts in. This works real well if you give the heifer their permanent number the same day that the vet is bangs vaccinating.
 
We use the large Z tags on the calves- Number and year letter made large for easy reading with the brand on the top. Use the back bottom for dam with the sire for PB's on top. Makes for easy reference anytime we check. We tattoo all our heifers( PB & commercial) at weaning with their ID number to keep track when tags are lost. Only takes a minute and works good on the Herf's but as FH pointed out it is hard to read tattoos on our black and baldie darlings. It can be done but they sure like to make it miserable on us! Every year I swear I'm going to number brand the herd but just never seem to find the time to get it done.
 
We put the cow's number and the calf's birthdate. When we keep a replacement heifer she will get a new number to match the brisket tag she ends up with. All the info goes in the computer so we can look up whatever we need.

We did buy a feeder this fall with a tag that said No Ears on it. :D :D
 

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