[welshlass181]

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.

[oaklandspigs]

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.

[welshlass181]

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