EAR TATTOO

[oldtruck]

OK, it is time for me to do my first tattoo ,   any advice?

which tool is the best for ease of use?  i am only going to be doing a couple a year? well that s what im saying now.

[dexterlady]

Is there anyone near you who has a tattoo device?...If so, see if you can borrow it....And the letters and numbers you will need...No sense in buying all you need for just a couple of calves...But if you have to buy one, Jeffers carries the big size and the lg. letters and numbers...I find it best to use green ink instead of black...I also use the roller bottle of ink....I also shave the area I am tattooing, roll on the green ink and then tattoo....Then I rub it into the skin....Also I wear rubber gloves, that ink stys on your skin a long time....Hope this helps...Dexterlady

[carragheendexters]

Hi Oldtruck and Donna J,

Very true Donna J about borrowing the gear. It is quite an expense for just a couple of calves a year.

I find it so messy trying to clean up my tattoo pliers and numbers/letters, so I do mine a little differently. I clip the ears clean like you do Donna, and then I clean them out with methylated spirits on a cotton wool wad, then let them dry. Then I clamp the ear with no paste on the ear.
I then use a toothbrush, put the paste on like you do with toothpaste, then I brush the imprint in all directions to get ink in all of the holes.
I find this way less messy and the tattoo will last and be clearly visible.

Best of all, no mess to clean up with your pliers.

I like the green ink best too, it's the most clearly visible. I have had trouble with one or two black animals that have black pigment develop in their ears when they were clipped up for shows, it was like the ears suntanned. I had to use white ink on those ones as you just couldn't read the green.

Oh, and best hint, no matter how careful you are, you still seem to get it everywhere, or at least I always do. Wear a pair of disposable gloves and your oldest clothes. They always seem to rub on me and I get more on me than what the calf has on it. LOL

regards Louise

[marion]

I use a Ketchum brand plier and 3/8 inch letters, because that is what I already had for goats. It works just fine for the cows. Make sure that whatever plier you use will accommodate your own tattoo letters as well as the animals herd number and year letter, so that you only have to make one 'crunch' in the ear. Give a very quick, firm crunch. I have always used the Ketchum green paste ink. I clean the ear with alcohol to get rid of the grease, then put ink onto the ear, onto the points of the letters, then a fresh glob on my finger to massage in. I've never had a problem with tattoos disappearing. I never liked the roll-on liquid ink, only ever used it when doing someone else's goats and that is what they had on hand. Wear a pair of disposable surgical gloves and spend several minutes massaging the ink into the ear, and oh yes - don't scratch your nose :-) ..marion

[ssrdex]

Hi oldtruck
If you're doing your tattoo before brucellosis, make sure you do it in the left ear, the vet has dibs on the right. Also, use of a teenage daughter saves you a lot of mess. I do the "crunching" and she does the inking

[midhilldexters]

Since the ADCA now accept the last 6 digits of the 840 ear tags, you could re think and not do tattoos and get set up to use the ear tags instead.
I will be using them on my next set of calves.

Carol K

[hollydzie]

Carol, where can we find more information about using the 840 tag info??

Thanks Holly

[oldtruck]

oh, i think i like the ear tag idea better than the tat.  thank you for the information and advice.  what a great sight

old truck

[midhilldexters]

Just google 840 ear tags, or check you State USDA site. You have to get a premise ID if you don't already have one, then you order the tags from one of the tag suppliers, Valley Vet is one of them. There are tags with chips in, which you don't really need and then there are just 840 AIN (animal information number?)tags which are the information only and no chip in them.
It would seem that many States now require a 840 tag for any movement of an animal.

Carol

[midhilldexters]

www.valleyvet.com/c/farm-ranch-supplies/ear-tags/usda-840.html

This is a link to see some of the tag choices. The white ones on the left are the ones without the chip in. You get a choice of size where you can also write a herd name on them. There are about 6 color choices so you are not stuck with just white.
Those that are against the Government NAIS program won't want to use them I'm sure, but if you sell cattle across State lines or into Canada, the time is coming when these will be a requirement I would think. Anyway it is an alternative to tattooing.

Carol K

[oldtruck]

premise #  how easy and painless is that. or how much probing is going to be done in order for me to get it??

[lakeportfarms]

Contact the State of Michigan, you will need your complete farm information, number and type of animals, and some other information to get the premise id# Expect to eventually get a farm census form in the mail to be filled out. Michigan is a mandatory NAIS state, largely because of the TB problems in the Northern Lower from the deer.  Only the RFID buttons are acceptable in MI.  If you sell them, you are supposed to place the 840 RFID tag in the ear that is assigned to the premise.  When you purchase them from another seller, the animal is supposed to have an 840 rfid tag in the ear before it leaves the property it was born and lived on.  In some counties (and adjoining) those counties of the Northern Lower you must contact the state before you move the cattle to another farm.

[midhilldexters]

Fran that's interesting, none of the authorities in NY mentioned anything about free tags, maybe my State doesn't do them, not sure? They supply free scrapie tags though. That's interesting thanks for letting us know.

Carol K

[legendrockranch]

A few months ago we also were notified about Texas going with the 840 tags. Just recently in speaking with someone at the Texas Animal Health Commission, I asked them about the new tags. Seems that they will also except a metal brucellosis tag as a form of permanent identification without having to use the 840 tag. I suggest you contact your states animal health agency. That is unless you don't bangs vaccinate.

www.tahc.state.tx.us/adt/ADT_OfficialIdentification.pdf

I am NOT sure if this applies to out of state shipments though.

Barb

[Deleted]

I wish this tagging thing was easier. Wouldn't it be nice if the ADCA had the USDA tags available for us to order from them to tag our calves. Why does it have to be so confusing?