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Post by Fran on Feb 15, 2014 19:10:03 GMT -5
Hi all, as some of you know, I had 4 cows calve this week. I have 3 new little heifers and 1 bull calf. All of them are black. The bull calf will be steered and is already spoken for. I want to do the various tests on the girls. My dilemma is, even if I go ahead and do the genetic tests now, how will I be able to tell them apart in a couple of months when I'm ready to tag. My husband thinks they're too small right now to put in ear tags. So, should I wait and do the tests in a few months or what?
Any ideas?
Thanks!
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Post by legendrockranch on Feb 15, 2014 19:23:20 GMT -5
We tag our calves on the day they're born. We also pull tail hair at the same time, if you do this just make sure you pull extra hair samples because the follicles are smaller at this age.
Barb
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Post by Fran on Feb 15, 2014 19:29:23 GMT -5
Barb, are using regular ear tags? And you don't have trouble finding the cartilidge?
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Post by legendrockranch on Feb 15, 2014 21:57:08 GMT -5
We use the Y*TEX 2 piece ear tags, size is medium 3 star. We have not had a problem locating the cartilages. I have added a picture of several 3 month old calves showing their ear tags. You can also see the tags in my avatar picture.  Barb |
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Post by emgiger on Feb 15, 2014 22:02:42 GMT -5
Hi Fran,
We tag and pull hairs within the first 48 hours of birth. The hairs are mailed to the lab shortly thereafter. We use Z tags, which we have found to be reliable and so far have not torn any ears. When tagging, you want to stay away from the large blood vessels running through the ear, which are fairly easy to identify.
Congrats on four healthy babies!
Eileen
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zephyrhillsusan
member
Caught Dexteritis in Dec. 2009. Member of this forum since Oct. 2013.
Posts: 1,502 
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Post by zephyrhillsusan on Feb 15, 2014 22:15:52 GMT -5
Wow, Barb, you definitely need the ear tags to tell them apart! They're lovely!
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Post by Fran on Feb 15, 2014 22:25:17 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for the quick response. I told him I wanted to pull tail hairs and tag ears tomorrow, but he said they were too small. Thanks for the ammo.  he's already gone to bed but I'll have those ear tags ready in the morning. Barb, those are beautiful. Thanks again! Fran |
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Post by Fran on Feb 15, 2014 22:28:57 GMT -5
And Barb, those pics were great until that last one - yuck! I hate spiders!
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Post by legendrockranch on Feb 15, 2014 22:57:14 GMT -5
We tag and tattoo in the left ear, the right ear we call the "vets" ear where the heifer has her brucellosis metal tag and the vets tattoo is done. Note, not every breeder has their heifers brucellosis vaccinated but we do even though we're in a bangs free state.
Barb
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Post by Fran on Feb 16, 2014 13:11:51 GMT -5
Okay, everyone, got ear tags in and tail hairs pulled. Another question, I've always used Texas A & M lab but was thinking about using Davis. Will that work if my bull and some cow info is at Texas or should I just stay with Texas?
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Post by Fran on Feb 16, 2014 13:16:29 GMT -5
Oh and I forgot to say how easy it was to get Scott to agree since I had all of these experienced cattle people telling me so!!! So a great big thank you for that. He doesn't like to listen to what I say even though I'm the one that takes care of the animals 95% of the time. I keep up with feeding, records, necessary vacs, breeding, etc. but he still won't take my word for hardly anything . |
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Post by lakeportfarms on Feb 16, 2014 13:38:30 GMT -5
I've found that UCDavis is a much easier lab to use than Texas. Their procedures are very refined with the paperwork, plus having an account online you always have access to the reports, just in case your paperwork is messy We have quite a few Dexters so it's nice to have the actual official reports stored on their system. I can even pull up information on my phone while I'm out in the pasture if I want with Davis! It's possible for a nominal cost to have your cow and bull genotype transferred from Texas. |
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Post by lakeportfarms on Feb 16, 2014 13:39:07 GMT -5
I've found that UCDavis is a much easier lab to use than Texas. Their procedures are very refined with the paperwork, plus having an account online you always have access to the reports, just in case your paperwork is messy We have quite a few Dexters so it's nice to have the actual official reports stored on their system. I can even pull up information on my phone while I'm out in the pasture if I want with Davis! It's possible for a nominal cost to have your cow and bull genotype transferred from Texas. |
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Post by hollydzie on Feb 16, 2014 15:21:16 GMT -5
I agree with Lakeport, I have used both and like UC Davis MUCH better.
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Post by Fran on Feb 19, 2014 9:05:16 GMT -5
Okay, a couple more questions. Please forgive me for my ignorance and be nice, pretty please. What is the difference between Genetic Marker Report and Parent Verification? Also, I don't see anywhere on UCD site to request transfer stuff from Texas A&M.
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he's already gone to bed but I'll have those ear tags ready in the morning.
