Author Topic: Ear tagging pigs!! (Read 13309 times)

Sylvia · « **on:** January 30, 2010, 12:54:14 pm »

I bought three weaner pigs back along and the breeder gave me their ear-tags and told me the abbatoir might be happy if I took them with the tags in my pocket rather than in their ears. Times being changed i am told they have to be attatched to the pig's ear,and, no, sticking them on with super-glue would not do!!

My good neighbour has lent me an ear-tagger and I have an adaptor but how do I actually tag the pigs ears?
I want to do it right for the poor old pigs sake.
The last time I took beasts to slaughter was in the back of a car, no tags, no movement orders etc. (this was twenty odd years ago!)

gavo · « **Reply #1 on:** January 30, 2010, 02:14:46 pm »

Get them eating out of a bucket, have all your tagging stuff ready, come up behind them and apply the tag to a central area of their left ear, as you look at them from the back.The applicator should snap closed on the ear; and once done snap open off the ear; job done.It works for us every time.

Mr Pig · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2010, 04:24:21 pm »

When selecting the position in the middle of the ear, take care to avoid the major veins.

JulieS · « **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2010, 07:36:29 pm »

It would be a good idea to check locally, because down here we have to have metal tags on pigs going to slaughter.

Sylvia · « **Reply #4 on:** January 30, 2010, 08:22:18 pm »

Yes, the tags are metal ones and I thought to wait until they were actually in the trailer until tagging them. I hadn't thought of large veins though! A few boiled spuds should take their minds off the pain.

JulieS · « **Reply #5 on:** January 31, 2010, 07:50:04 am »

With the metal tags they just need to be near the edge of the ear......I do mine while they are eating the day before. Usually they just shake their head once and then back to eating. Good luck

Hilarysmum · « **Reply #6 on:** January 31, 2010, 10:22:14 am »

Cant you just slap mark them on both shoulders and rear ends?

Sylvia · « **Reply #7 on:** January 31, 2010, 07:21:08 pm »

Well, after all the trepidation, a sleepless night and unable to as much as swallow a cup of tea this morning it was as you said. They barely lifted their heads from their grub, many thanks!!

Hilarysmum · « **Reply #8 on:** February 01, 2010, 07:29:17 am »

Hope the rest of the day goes as well.

Anke · « **Reply #9 on:** February 02, 2010, 09:50:48 am »

Goes as well for whom?

We always tag our pigs with metal slaughter tags once they are in the trailer and still finding the last bits of food that was put there to entice them in. We also always put in tags into both ears, so that we can be sure of getting our own pigs back - we have had swaps before... ( in one case I brought in mutton and got back spring lamb from the butcher..., not sure if it was the butcher doing the swap or the abattoir..., changed butcher since then!, but cant cange the abattoir as its the only one in reasonable distance....