[Bionic]

When we bought out weaners the seller showed us how to slap mark as he had 2 going for slaughter the next day but he also suggested that we have a try out on a bag of rubbish first i.e. something like a bag of grass cuttings with is a fairly dead weight like a pig.
It won't complain if you do it too hard and gives you the opportunity to try out your 'swing'
Sally

[jellybean]

A piece of advice please about slap marks for a first time pig keeper

We slap marked our saddlebacks about 3 weeks ago (on the white shoulder band).  All seemed well and I felt fairly confident I had done it effectively.

However now 3 weeks on there is no obvious visible sign of the marks - should i be worried, or is this normal?

thanks
Sam

the ink lasts 2 weeks, and once slaughtered the meat inspectors will see i t on the carcass.  Wont matter that you cannot see it on the skin.  Not really meant to unless you use tattoo ink(registration of pigs) and then if you are tattooing then either on the ear or on the lip as the horse people do

[supplies for smallholders]

the ink lasts 2 weeks, and once slaughtered the meat inspectors will see i t on the carcass.  Wont matter that you cannot see it on the skin.  Not really meant to unless you use tattoo ink(registration of pigs) and then if you are tattooing then either on the ear or on the lip as the horse people do

Untrue.

All the tattoo ink I have come across is permanent. In fact the Food Grade Ink we sell has been extensively trialed on an 800 Sow unit and below is an extract of the trail report carried out by the UK's largest producer:

1.      Pigs slapped immediately prior to slaughter – to see if the ink would get washed out in the scalding tank.
2.      Pigs slapped the day before slaughter or just before transport to the slaughter house – to check whether the ink would come back out of the skin before the tattoo pin wound had totally healed.
3.      Slapping at 50kg – roughly 8 weeks before slaughter . To ascertain whether the ink would remain in the skin as a near permanent mark after the tattoo pin wound had totally healed.

The tattoos could be easily read in all 3 trial scenarios

Tattoo's for pedigree markings is a totally different scenario, with shoulder slapping you are marking the pigs skin and potentially the flesh just under the skin. With Ear tatoos you are tattooing the cartilidge of the ear. The cartilidge marks better and displays the mark much easier. It is nothing to do with the ink being permanent or temporary.As the flesh and skin of the pig is impregnated with ink we only advocate the use of food grade ink for this purpose - as you, or someone else, will end up eating it. Gone are the days (I HOPE) of farmers mixing their own paste from a mixture of soot and Diesel!!

[robert waddell]

firebright was used as well
green tattoo ink was the worst it turned to water in the tin

[supplies for smallholders]

Sorry about my previous post - The quote seems to have been garbled, and I did not intend it all to be in Bold