The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: welshlass181 on April 13, 2011, 01:55:57 pm

Title: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: welshlass181 on April 13, 2011, 01:55:57 pm
My local farmer suppliers said that these hand pressed ear tags.  Cannot find them online but i have seen them in the shop and they have a sharp spike on them and a bit on the other side to stop said spike sticking into ut finger.  These have my herd number and whatnot on them but what i was wondering is would they be ok for the slaughter process?  I know they'll be ok to transport the over year old animals but need opinions on the slaughter  ???
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: JulieS on April 13, 2011, 03:29:15 pm
It is best to check with the abattoir that you will be using.  They should have metal ear tags to go for slaughter, but some abattoirs seem to accept others.

Give them a call and they will let you know what their preference is.

Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: belgianblue on April 13, 2011, 04:28:39 pm
have an look on fearing.co.uk they do an range of taggs,but i think this farmer is winding you up as you are an newbie to catch you out
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: supplies for smallholders on April 13, 2011, 04:44:55 pm
Never heard of them.

And belgianblue...Your off my xmas list as well for using the "f" word  ;D
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: robert waddell on April 13, 2011, 04:51:57 pm
SFS you are easy upset ;) :wave:      i think posters have the wrong idea on this one  hand pressed =well they all are hand pressed with pliars into the ear  :wave: BELGIANBLUE it was farmer suppliers not farmer  :wave:
or has age kicked in with me :-\ :-\ :wave:
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: supplies for smallholders on April 13, 2011, 05:19:36 pm
Hi Lillian,

Takes more than that to upset me  ;D 

EVEN you havent managed it yet  :P :P :P
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: robert waddell on April 13, 2011, 05:40:10 pm
SFS but i have not been trying to upset you yet  :wave: you may yet donate something to the SPKA i have persuasive talents :wave:
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: supplies for smallholders on April 13, 2011, 05:44:27 pm
Hmmmm interesting thought...Donate, that sounds like a freebie  :o - If I didnt know better I would think you were Scottish  ;D

Seriously though, when your membership reaches say 500 let me know and I will make a donation - you could perhaps run it as a competition??
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: robert waddell on April 13, 2011, 05:53:52 pm
now who is the scottish one with short arms and deep pockets      at least BOB RITCHIE donated a lamb/pig weigher for a raffel last year :wave:
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: HappyHippy on April 13, 2011, 06:04:16 pm
Seriously though, when your membership reaches say 500 let me know and I will make a donation - you could perhaps run it as a competition??

500 ?  :o :o :o
That may well take us a wee while, but thank you Gareth for your offer (sounded like an offer to me  ;D) we'll let you know  ;)
Got to say at this point that SfS are supporting the SPKA and we're so grateful for that  ;D ;D ;D :wave:
I'll need to get my finger out and order some more tyre bowl drinkers from you, they are standing up so well compared to everything else I've used. I might just do a few worm counts as well - I just have to get organised enough to write a list lol!

But to go back to the original question -
I've never heard of tags that don't need an applicator, I quite like using the pliers - makes me feel a bit more detached from what is happening  :-\
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: Frieslandfilly on April 13, 2011, 07:40:59 pm
Check with the abbatoir as said, ours take plastic tags.
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: supplies for smallholders on April 13, 2011, 07:42:45 pm
I thought short arms and deep pockets were a requirement north of "the Wall".

Yes Happy H - It was an offer, and Im thinking along the lines of a pig slapper (not for you Lillian, you are fine with your emulsion brush!!  ;D ;D).

Ok well if 600 is too challenging  - Lets say 300 then  ;D
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: robert waddell on April 13, 2011, 11:29:54 pm
SFS i could get to like you :) :wave:
a very generous offer SFS did happy hippy tell you we are at 299 ;) ;) ;) :wave:        you take care now  :wave:
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: welshlass181 on April 17, 2011, 12:27:56 pm
Hi thanks for the replies.  I'll phone the slaughter house tomorrow.  The tags that i have ordered have the plastic bit for the herd number and a metal spike that you press together and it goes through the ear.  I'm due to get them this week now and i'll take a picture of them and post it on here.  The lady i spoke to has said she uses them to move animals to and from farms and marts.  Nothing is going to slaughter with me for a while yet so i am ok and dnt need a proper ear tagger just yet.
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: Blonde on April 17, 2011, 01:53:52 pm
do you put a number on them with a felt pen or do you notch the number on them land then add the numbers together to get the sow number?
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: welshlass181 on April 17, 2011, 02:29:21 pm
do you put a number on them with a felt pen or do you notch the number on them land then add the numbers together to get the sow number?

No the ones i have ordered have my herd number printed on them by the manufacturer.
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: oaklandspigs on April 17, 2011, 06:52:52 pm
do you put a number on them with a felt pen or do you notch the number on them land then add the numbers together to get the sow number?
The legal position for England & Wales is that the tag must be
(a)easy to read during the pig’s lifetime;.
(b)made of either metal or plastic or a combination of metal and plastic;.
(c)tamper-resistant;.
(d)incapable of re-use;.
(e)sufficiently heat-resistant that neither the ear tag nor the information printed or stamped on it can be damaged by the processing of the carcase following slaughter;.
(f)designed to remain attached to the pig without harming it..


A felt pen would not survive condition e
Most people have them pre-printed or stamped, but am not sure is hand writing would count as printed if not joined up writing !
One for those with more legal knowledge than me.
Title: Re: Hand pressed ear tags & slaughter
Post by: welshlass181 on May 01, 2011, 04:14:44 pm
I've not managed to get close enough with my phone to get a picture of the ear tag in but when i did find while re-watching it was a vid of the big sow i collected last week.  She is 2 years old so therefore needed a ear tag.  This is one of the hand pressed metal tags that i was on about in the beginning.  I put this in last Tuesday before i loaded her up and it is still in now.  She has had lots of squabbles and there are some cuts and welts from my other pigs and it's still in :) so i am impressed.  She didn't move or make a noise when i put it through her ear.  You can see it in her left ear at the beginning of the vid

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h261/shellsam/th_Mattiecloseup.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h261/shellsam/?action=view&current=Mattiecloseup.mp4)