The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Bionic on June 29, 2013, 03:52:53 pm

Title: Ooops I've messed up - update
Post by: Bionic on June 29, 2013, 03:52:53 pm
My ear tagging has gone wrong  :( . I have 2 lambs with the wrong tags and need to correct it.
I will have to order more tags with different information but wondered if anyone else has tried to remove ear tags. They are bubblegum tags from Allflex.
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: kaz on June 29, 2013, 05:16:04 pm
My Husband cuts them out with what he calls snips. You need to cut off the knob end of the male tag which should be sitting in the inside of the ear within the female part of the tag. If you've got a spare tag, clip it together as it would be in the ear and then cut off the bit that holds it all together.
If you get desperate we will come over and cut them out for you so you can see how it's done.
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: kaz on June 29, 2013, 05:25:47 pm
Managed to tag all our lambs today after we found our new tagger, nearly rang you to see if we could borrow yours. Seems to take forever when they are being double tagged. Only the lost tags to put in now. Reluctant to do because as soon as we do another one is lost. ::)
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: Bionic on June 29, 2013, 06:12:03 pm
Karen, thats a good idea about trying it out on a spare tag. I have plenty of those. I am sure Geoff has snips too. I am hoping we don't get desperate enough to call you over as its a long way to come.
Need to order the new tags yet but I will let you know how it goes when we eventually get round to it.
 
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: Possum on June 29, 2013, 07:05:30 pm
Glad it's not just me that does that sort of thing! :innocent:
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: ScotsGirl on June 29, 2013, 07:30:14 pm
Lol I managed to tag one of my pedigree Suffolk ewes as a boy. Took me ages to work out why I couldn't find her as she had slaughter tag on! On my list to change
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: lachlanandmarcus on June 29, 2013, 09:04:49 pm
I find a brilliant tool to remove tags is the dog nail clippers, the ones without points.
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: goosepimple on June 29, 2013, 09:32:38 pm
when our shearer came the other week, I noticed that half our ewes have at least 1 missing eartag, pain in the backside are eartags  >:(
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: Bionic on June 30, 2013, 09:22:04 am
pain in the backside are eartags  >:(
I think you are putting them in the wrong place  :roflanim:
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: SallyintNorth on June 30, 2013, 12:08:10 pm
pain in the backside are eartags  >:(
I think you are putting them in the wrong place  :roflanim:

 :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: graham-j on June 30, 2013, 01:32:59 pm
Hi,the worse thing is if they are missing the ear is also damaged.The worse ones seem to be the ones that are half ripped out. :'(

Graham.
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: Fairhaven Stud on June 30, 2013, 03:53:55 pm
We had to cut a couple of tags off last week, the people that we got them from had tagged them in the wrong place & the ear was growing around the tag... either that or we have mutant texels with huge ears.   ;D
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: Marches Farmer on June 30, 2013, 08:03:25 pm
Oh, I wish the bright spark in Brussels that thought up that rule could show me where exactly I'm supposed to put the replacement tags on one of my Badger Face ewes that is partial to whatever's growing in the hedge and keeps ripping out her tags, whatever make and whether or not we split them.  She now has 1 tag left in and 6 rips, two really bad. 
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: Pedwardine on June 30, 2013, 10:32:00 pm
I applied a couple of Ketchum Kurl Lock no4 tags very badly ie: not allowing enough room for ear growth. How the hell I get THEM out I don't know but I guess sooner rather than later. Any tips greatly appreciated. I guess I could put the EID ones in the other ear (usually leave that until the animal is sold) so we can still identify. I HATE ear tags.
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: SallyintNorth on July 01, 2013, 12:03:13 am
We hate them too.  If you put them in when the lambs are very young, they can make the ear flop, and/or pinch as they grow.  If they are in during the fly/midge season and there's any discharge - they don't have to be newly applied for this, either - then that attracts the flying / biting / egg-laying insects... If you get ones that don't come out then you get ripped ears, and the damaged ear becomes a fly / midge magnet...  :rant:

Far better for animal welfare to put them in only when the animals are being sold on.  I suppose if they are younger animals being sold on for breeding, this isn't much consolation anyway, they can still have all the same problems, just in a new home. ::)

Pic is of a ripped ear that had been mangled further by the attentions of flies. 
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: Pedwardine on July 01, 2013, 12:09:21 am
Difficult to identify who's who without though and spray markers just don't shown up on our black to grey babies even yellow, and white ones are useless no matter what the make  :rant: Our lot get neck bling as they get big enough for the collars to stay on. Makes ID easy at just a glance.
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: kaz on July 01, 2013, 06:50:57 pm
Difficult to identify who's who without though and spray markers just don't shown up on our black to grey babies even yellow, and white ones are useless no matter what the make  :rant: Our lot get neck bling as they get big enough for the collars to stay on. Makes ID easy at just a glance.

Thats interesting, what sort of collars do you use as my coloured ryelands have been a bit of a pain this year to identify.
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: Herdygirl on July 01, 2013, 09:53:26 pm
I have yet to find a marker spray that works on Herdwicks.  we have a lot of 'smudge' lambs who belong to that 'smear' ewe  ::)
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: Pedwardine on July 01, 2013, 11:07:13 pm
I get them from Dalton AKA Tags4U. You get rubber neck collars (ie: with some stretch in them to get over bigger headed sheep) and tags in a variety of colors which attach to the collar via a 'd' link. Tags can be printed up with number/name etc or you can write it on yourself with the markers they also provide (other markers, even Sharpies don't work)
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: kaz on July 02, 2013, 06:21:28 pm
Thanks for that. Well worth considering.
 
Title: Re: Ooops I've messed up
Post by: Bionic on July 11, 2013, 11:43:58 am
We removed the incorrect tags this morning. Secateurs worked well at cutting through them. New tags have been put in the holes where the old ones were removed.
Job done  :thumbsup: