Author Topic: Can lambs have an extra unprinted ear tag?  (Read 3107 times)

twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Can lambs have an extra unprinted ear tag?
« on: May 14, 2012, 10:05:30 pm »
We have 6 lambs who are now weaned off milk (yay!) and demolishing creep feed and hay! They will soon be turned out in a field with bullocks, and also 5 other lambs which are not ours. All 11 lambs here are tagged.

Is it possible to tag them with a separate tag in the other ear just so we can visually identify our 6 lambs without catching them and reading their blue slaughter tag? Would they still be able to go for slaughter... they already have blue slaughter tags from the holdings we got them from.

In a 10 acre field with 5 others and 20 bullocks, an extra coloured tag would be very helpful to see whose lambs are whose whilst we whizz round on the quad every am and pm...

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Can lambs have an extra unprinted ear tag?
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2012, 10:42:43 pm »
Yes you can put 'management tags' in.  We've been trying the Dalton 'temp tags' but they are only really suitable to apply to very young lambs so maybe not best in your situation.  Fleecewife uses a different colour tag, I think?  And a few people have recommended using turkey poult tags from Ketchum.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

woollyval

  • Joined Feb 2008
  • Near Bodmin, Cornwall
    • Val Grainger
    • Facebook
Re: Can lambs have an extra unprinted ear tag?
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2012, 10:52:19 pm »
If you just want to see who belongs to you why not just use spray stock marker and put a spot or a letter or a number on them....ok it needs redoing from time to time but cheaper and easier? :wave:
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twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: Can lambs have an extra unprinted ear tag?
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2012, 10:57:50 pm »
Could do but some are black and white mules so even bright red stock spray doesn't show up, we tried it when we first got them :(

Fronhaul

  • Joined Jun 2011
    • Fronhaul Farm
Re: Can lambs have an extra unprinted ear tag?
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2012, 08:15:57 am »
Roxan do a decent management tag as well.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Can lambs have an extra unprinted ear tag?
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2012, 08:32:37 am »
You could tie a pretty ribbon in their wool, especially if they have top-knots  ;D

The turkey wing tags are just to identify lambs close up and have a number on.  We change them for their permanent tags at 4 months.  There's nothing to stop you getting blank tags of any colour for your own flock management.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

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chucklebutty

  • Joined May 2012
  • Dunbar, Scotland
Re: Can lambs have an extra unprinted ear tag?
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2012, 09:57:05 pm »
Yes you can put in your own tags for keeping records of your breeding flock etc...  and in our case.,, naming my God Daughters pet :-)

We found Rotatag was best after a few disasters with others getting caught.

DOns x

 

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