[Bionic]

My ear tagging has gone wrong  . I have 2 lambs with the wrong tags and need to correct it.
I will have to order more tags with different information but wondered if anyone else has tried to remove ear tags. They are bubblegum tags from Allflex.

[kaz]

My Husband cuts them out with what he calls snips. You need to cut off the knob end of the male tag which should be sitting in the inside of the ear within the female part of the tag. If you've got a spare tag, clip it together as it would be in the ear and then cut off the bit that holds it all together.
If you get desperate we will come over and cut them out for you so you can see how it's done.

[kaz]

Managed to tag all our lambs today after we found our new tagger, nearly rang you to see if we could borrow yours. Seems to take forever when they are being double tagged. Only the lost tags to put in now. Reluctant to do because as soon as we do another one is lost.

[Bionic]

Karen, thats a good idea about trying it out on a spare tag. I have plenty of those. I am sure Geoff has snips too. I am hoping we don't get desperate enough to call you over as its a long way to come.
Need to order the new tags yet but I will let you know how it goes when we eventually get round to it.
 

[Possum]

Glad it's not just me that does that sort of thing!

[ScotsGirl]

Lol I managed to tag one of my pedigree Suffolk ewes as a boy. Took me ages to work out why I couldn't find her as she had slaughter tag on! On my list to change

[lachlanandmarcus]

I find a brilliant tool to remove tags is the dog nail clippers, the ones without points.

[goosepimple]

when our shearer came the other week, I noticed that half our ewes have at least 1 missing eartag, pain in the backside are eartags 

[Bionic]

pain in the backside are eartags 

I think you are putting them in the wrong place 

[SallyintNorth]

pain in the backside are eartags 

I think you are putting them in the wrong place 

 

[graham-j]

Hi,the worse thing is if they are missing the ear is also damaged.The worse ones seem to be the ones that are half ripped out.

Graham.

[Fairhaven Stud]

We had to cut a couple of tags off last week, the people that we got them from had tagged them in the wrong place & the ear was growing around the tag... either that or we have mutant texels with huge ears.   

[Marches Farmer]

Oh, I wish the bright spark in Brussels that thought up that rule could show me where exactly I'm supposed to put the replacement tags on one of my Badger Face ewes that is partial to whatever's growing in the hedge and keeps ripping out her tags, whatever make and whether or not we split them.  She now has 1 tag left in and 6 rips, two really bad. 

[Pedwardine]

I applied a couple of Ketchum Kurl Lock no4 tags very badly ie: not allowing enough room for ear growth. How the hell I get THEM out I don't know but I guess sooner rather than later. Any tips greatly appreciated. I guess I could put the EID ones in the other ear (usually leave that until the animal is sold) so we can still identify. I HATE ear tags.

[SallyintNorth]

We hate them too.  If you put them in when the lambs are very young, they can make the ear flop, and/or pinch as they grow.  If they are in during the fly/midge season and there's any discharge - they don't have to be newly applied for this, either - then that attracts the flying / biting / egg-laying insects... If you get ones that don't come out then you get ripped ears, and the damaged ear becomes a fly / midge magnet... 

Far better for animal welfare to put them in only when the animals are being sold on.  I suppose if they are younger animals being sold on for breeding, this isn't much consolation anyway, they can still have all the same problems, just in a new home.

Pic is of a ripped ear that had been mangled further by the attentions of flies.