[waterhouse]

Got to http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/info/farming/Animal_Identification and there are some downloads, one of which is from Ritchie with a flow chart that is helpful, if large

I got six sheep in three weeks ago and currently have 7 of the original tags left, one chap having removed both of his while only two of the six Ritchie wrap-round yellow tags have survived.  Their removal has made real mess because the tag hasn't failed but the ear has.  I'm assuming the problem is the stock fence.  I could run a line of electric along at 600mm but it seems a real faff to do it.

What's the best tag for surviving?

[Fleecewife]

<<What's the best tag for surviving?>>

Well that's the 60 million dollar question    It seems that people who were previously happy with whatever tag they were using are now finding that with the EID in they are no longer satisfactory.  Because this is the first year of using EIDs we have no real idea what will stay in and what will not.  Also some tags become brittle in sunlight and break easily.  We have heard that the Shearwell tag, which was fine for the first few months, is now causing ear infections.  The EID is held in an open-sided boxy bit which fills up with mank so if the tag itself rubs at the ear then infection gets in.
We have opted for the Allflex Bubblegum tag, largely because they are made of a soft flexible material and they are not very long (our Hebrideans have fairly small ears and the Soays very small ears).  We put the first ones in the other day - the first few were a disaster because they are flexible so the male and female bits tend not to meet up in the ear.  In the end we found that by guiding the spike by hand we could get them in, but what a faff.  One actually broke off the tip of the spike - I think this is because the pins are now made to hold the EID, so the non EID tag has a hollow pin.  I thought they were supposed to be filled with resin but they are not. We have not put in the EID ones yet and will leave them until the sheep have to leave here - there are several months to go yet before they reach 9 months and must have them.
So it's a bit of a case of suck it and see, and compare notes later.  My OH put a link here somewhere of where to make comments on the success or otherwise of tags.  The RBST should be doing something similar for rare breeds but don't seem to have got their act together yet.
I don't think fencing is the only cause of losing the tags as even just plain playing, fighting or feeding side by side at troughs can get the tags caught together.

[morri2]

Heavens Gardencottage, was that £20 for the 'ear piercer' for your tags?  We've just paid £8 !!!!!  I'd have a word with your supplier about that.

[Rosemary]

I've just ordered a replacement tag for the tup going to Thainstone - he's lost one but at least it's a nice neat hole  plus slaughter tags for the two tup lambs and two tags EID / ordinary for the ewe lamb. The applicator is £8 from Ketchum. They were very helpful but I rang Animal Health to check what I should have. In Scotland, prime / store lambs must have a single EID tag.

[Bright Raven]

I have been giving this a lot of thought. I think I am going to try the circular tag set from Dalton's. Have any of you had positive or negative experiences with this button EID tag?

[Fleecewife]

We used button tags for a couple of years, prior to EID.  They are well retained but OH had problems sometimes when putting them in as it was difficult to make sure that the ear was not folded over between the two halves. Also a lot of ear is covered by tag, so if there is infection it is more difficult to clean than a straight tag.

[Bright Raven]

Gosh, yes you are right, I hadn't thought about how much infection could be hidden. I was thinking about getting black buttons for my Suffolk crosses to keep the damn things as discreet as possible. I possibly won't tag until my lambs are 9 months old. Do you think I will still have problems with the ears folding at that age?

[Fleecewife]

Not Suffolks - they've got lovely big ears