The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: NewLifeOnTheFarm on September 23, 2020, 11:55:22 am

Title: Replacing tag on torn ear
Post by: NewLifeOnTheFarm on September 23, 2020, 11:55:22 am
Hi all, hope everyone is well.

I have a ewe who will be away to a new home tomorrow. She lost a tag at some point again this year (repeat offender!) and now i will really struggle to find a spot to put a new tag in.

Anyone know if you need to put two in one ear for please the powers that be?

Thanks in advance
Title: Re: Replacing tag on torn ear
Post by: Fleecewife on September 23, 2020, 01:20:53 pm
Is her new home a permanent one?  Were it me (and it has been) I get upset at the effect of all these tags on sheep's ears, so as you have run out of fresh places for her to rip, I would hand over the spare tag to the new owner to keep safe somewhere and not actually put it in the ear, for welfare purposes, as long as it matches the other tag and it's not the EID. Talk it over with the new owner first of course.  In my experience most sheep keepers on a smallholding scale would prefer to keep the tag safely with her registration documents.  If she would then be going on to a sale at some point, or for slaughter, the owner would have the tag available to put in and by that time the ear would have healed.
If you spot an ear recently torn by a tag, you can use superglue to repair the tear.
Title: Re: Replacing tag on torn ear
Post by: bj_cardiff on September 23, 2020, 03:15:16 pm
I'm not quite sure what your asking about putting two in one ear? Are you asking if you can put two (the Eid and Visual in the same ear - yes you can.

If she is off to a smallholding I would do as Fleecewife says and hand over tags with her rather than try and tag her again. I tend to do this with goats these days as they are always ripping them out
Title: Re: Replacing tag on torn ear
Post by: NewLifeOnTheFarm on September 23, 2020, 06:10:38 pm
Thank you both. Yes, it's a permanent home, and I would imagine will be for the rest of her life. I will do as you suggest and hopefully new owner will be happy to just take one tag and use should she need it. My question was could I put the visual and EID in the same ear should I need to? I hate the things, awful things.
Title: Re: Replacing tag on torn ear
Post by: twizzel on September 23, 2020, 06:27:29 pm
You can use Pastern tags which are totally acceptable instead of the second tag. I’d probably do that rather than put 2 tags in 1 ear or sell the ewe with 1 tag and 1 tag with the paperwork- the buyer may not have the correct tagger to insert said tag if they needed to.
Title: Re: Replacing tag on torn ear
Post by: Backinwellies on September 23, 2020, 07:36:10 pm
must have EID tag in ..... so depends which one is missing what you should do
Title: Re: Replacing tag on torn ear
Post by: Anke on September 24, 2020, 10:03:55 am
You can use Pastern tags which are totally acceptable instead of the second tag. I’d probably do that rather than put 2 tags in 1 ear or sell the ewe with 1 tag and 1 tag with the paperwork- the buyer may not have the correct tagger to insert said tag if they needed to.


As Twizzel says - if the one remaining in her ear is the EIF one and the ne wowner would rather have two ID's, then a pastern tag is totally fine.