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Author Topic: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.  (Read 20880 times)

fairhaven

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Norfolk
    • The Hazy Rainbow
Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« on: September 17, 2012, 09:25:21 am »
Hi
 Now you've all got me through the farrowing bit, I need advice on ear tags... Got to tag some weaners that we've sold - Are the following tags ok with Large Blacks or are they likely to pull them out?  (The rest of the piglets I was just  going to tag the day before they go off) 

  :thinking:  Or would using the ear tattoo thing be better?

 Oh - and after the disaster last week separating the sows from the weaners, we tried again over the weekend & all went well & all seem happy at the moment  :relief: 
« Last Edit: September 17, 2012, 09:36:48 am by fairhavenfarm »
Sheep: North Ronaldsay & 4 Horned Hebridean - We also breed & exhibit 3 breeds of rabbit - Chinchilla, Deilenaar (rare breed) & Colour Pointed English Angora.

chickenfeed

  • Guest
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2012, 09:38:18 am »
hi
they look like cattle flags you either want button (round) tags for pigs or the metal ones we use daltons they will soon put you right and inc a free applicator if its your first order.
 
are they registered pigs your tagging if so they should be notched too.
btw we use button tags for the show / breeding pigs and metal for meat pigs dont ask why i cant remember

Beewyched

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • South Wales
    • tunkeyherd.co.uk
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2012, 10:08:40 am »
Hi Fhf   :wave:
Glad to here things are settling down for you - it can just be so stressful sometimes when we are "learning as we go" - it'll be easier next time  :thumbsup:
As Cf says - if your weaners are going for breeding/show then they should be notched.
I only use the button tags on my KKs - personally the metal ones make me shudder (but that's just me), so I wouldn't use them, but they'd probably be ok for meat weaners.
If you go for plastic buttons, try Fearings - lovely choice of colours & 1st order used to include free taggers - they are brilliant if you are a little nervous, as it has a quick-release spring system - so the taggers don't get stuck in the ear if the pig decides to "do a bunk".
If you tag, have a good feel of the ear to check where the 2 main veins are (you need to avoid them!) & just go for it - calm & quick - the pigs hardly even flinch, especially if you do it while heads are down eating  ;)
 
Tunkey Herd - registered Kune Kune & rare breed poultry - www.tunkeyherdkunekune.com

Fowgill Farm

  • Joined Feb 2009
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2012, 10:11:33 am »
Agree they are cattle tags and will get ripped out, plastic tags for pigs need to be flat round button tags and need your herd no and the pigs numberon them.
If they're birth notified as pedigree and being sold for breeding then you should mark them as required by breed.
If selling weaners for meat in theory they can be sold using a paint mark as under one year old and the person sending them to the butchers tags them with their own tags.
HTH
Mandy  :pig:

fairhaven

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Norfolk
    • The Hazy Rainbow
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2012, 10:37:29 am »
They are advertised as pig tags on their site - Crappy picture - the cattle tags on their site have a longer bottom bit, But we are heading towards the tattoo instead, More money initially to buy but not having to worry about replacement tags when they rip them out...  :thinking:  Thanks for the tip about the veins though, at least with the tattoo we can do them now while the veins are fairly visible, rather than waiting till the last minute in case they rip them out in the meantime.
 They are all going for meat.   :excited:
Sheep: North Ronaldsay & 4 Horned Hebridean - We also breed & exhibit 3 breeds of rabbit - Chinchilla, Deilenaar (rare breed) & Colour Pointed English Angora.

oaklandspigs

  • Joined Nov 2009
  • East Sussex
    • OaklandsPigs
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2012, 10:38:12 am »
Ditto Fowgill, if they are under a year old, and you're only tagging for legal reasons, then don't tag them, just use a temporary mark.
 
If you tag, the buyer only has to tag again before slaughter, and this just causes confusion in the system.
 
If you're tagging for pedigree purposes, then you'd need to use "tattoo thing", unless you get permission from the BPA, and you really don't want to go the tagging route as it's double tagging and a real pain if they lose one, and the pigs can't be shown.
 
We use flag tags on our non-pedigree adult pigs for management purposes, and they don't tend to lose them.
 
If you're thinking of tattooing for the ones you're going to take to the abattoir, then you'd better check first, many abattoirs don't like tattoos as they're impossible to read most of the time.  They like slapmarkers or tags.
 
If you don't plan to sell pedigree pigs, then temporary mark the ones you sell, and slapmark the ones for the abattoir, or use metal tags, or use plastic button tags, but check with your abattoir what their requirements are first before shelling out for kit.
 
 
« Last Edit: September 17, 2012, 10:42:50 am by oaklandspigs »
www.Oaklandspigs.co.uk
"Perfect Pigs" the complete guide to keeping pigs; One Day Pig Courses in South East;
Weaners for sale - Visit our site for details

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2012, 10:58:27 am »
sorry to be the one to correct you oaklands     black eared pigs are notched   not tattoed   
but your post highlights a problem         all our pigs have tags   even the ones sold for meat
pedigree pigs must be individually identified   if that pig goes through 6 different owners it has to have 7 different tags   as removal of a tag is an offence
the cattle and sheep don't get retaged on a change of ownership  so what idiot thought this idea up for pigs :farmer:

rispainfarm

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • longniddry
    • The Porky Quines
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2012, 11:07:01 am »
We put temporary marks on ours sold for meat, but then they go at eight weeks, although we would if asked metal tag for owners who don't have the stomach to tag,  the weaners are then tagged with their herd number etc.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2012, 11:08:33 am by rispainfarm »
Author of Choosing and Keeping Pigs and Pigs for the Freezer, A Smallholders Guide

www.porkyquines.co.uk
http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/linda-mcdonald-brown/23/ab6/4a7/

oaklandspigs

  • Joined Nov 2009
  • East Sussex
    • OaklandsPigs
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2012, 12:40:55 pm »
sorry to be the one to correct you oaklands     black eared pigs are notched   not tattoed   

Robert - you are of course correct - having mentioned tatoo equipment I didn't notice that FHF was talking about large blacks rather than breeds that are tattooed.
www.Oaklandspigs.co.uk
"Perfect Pigs" the complete guide to keeping pigs; One Day Pig Courses in South East;
Weaners for sale - Visit our site for details

fairhaven

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Norfolk
    • The Hazy Rainbow
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2012, 02:43:39 pm »
 ???  This is a nightmare...  ok, First things first -

 1 - the 10wk old weaners (Large Black - Not registered) that have been sold for someone else to fatten for the freezer, don't need tagging by us, as they will only have to be tagged again by the buyer before they can send them to their abattoir?  I only need a temporary mark on them for sale as meat pigs?

Secondly - 2 - Later on, when we send our own pigs off, our abattoir is happy with either slapmark or ear tags...  Can I just slap them before they go?  Do I really need to tag them at all? 

I don't mean to be thick  :dunce:  :D  I will get it in the end  :fc: ;D
« Last Edit: September 17, 2012, 02:47:22 pm by fairhavenfarm »
Sheep: North Ronaldsay & 4 Horned Hebridean - We also breed & exhibit 3 breeds of rabbit - Chinchilla, Deilenaar (rare breed) & Colour Pointed English Angora.

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2012, 02:46:50 pm »
what you have written is correct   the end has happened you are not thick
 
temp mark is usually a paint spray mark for animals :farmer:

fairhaven

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Norfolk
    • The Hazy Rainbow
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2012, 02:52:51 pm »
 :excited:  Thank you    :D
Sheep: North Ronaldsay & 4 Horned Hebridean - We also breed & exhibit 3 breeds of rabbit - Chinchilla, Deilenaar (rare breed) & Colour Pointed English Angora.

oaklandspigs

  • Joined Nov 2009
  • East Sussex
    • OaklandsPigs
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2012, 03:14:03 pm »
FHF,
 
Never consider yourself thick when it comes to rules & regulations  - all of us started where you are now - basically saying "What???? Why??? Who dreamt this rubbish up????:)
 
As Robert says you have got it right !
www.Oaklandspigs.co.uk
"Perfect Pigs" the complete guide to keeping pigs; One Day Pig Courses in South East;
Weaners for sale - Visit our site for details

fairhaven

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Norfolk
    • The Hazy Rainbow
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #13 on: September 17, 2012, 03:18:30 pm »
 :idea:  I suppose that when I have finally got the hang of how things work, somebody sitting in an office, in a nice clean suit & shiny shoes will decide to bring in another rule or two, or change things just for something to do??
Sheep: North Ronaldsay & 4 Horned Hebridean - We also breed & exhibit 3 breeds of rabbit - Chinchilla, Deilenaar (rare breed) & Colour Pointed English Angora.

rispainfarm

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • longniddry
    • The Porky Quines
Re: Ear tagging floppy eared pigs.
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2012, 06:21:55 pm »
Don't worry fairhaven, when I moved to scotland, rules up here are different from those southerners and I still can't get my head around some of them, luckily I have happy hippo to call on when I need help. :wave: :thumbsup:
Author of Choosing and Keeping Pigs and Pigs for the Freezer, A Smallholders Guide

www.porkyquines.co.uk
http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/linda-mcdonald-brown/23/ab6/4a7/

 

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