Bad freeze brands - Parlour id

[Winklepicker]

Had a batch of heifers with bad freeze brands, have tried to do other hind but they havent taken well either.
Relief milkers are stuggling to id them and feeding them incorrectly.
Parlour not compatible with auto id.
Thought of head collars but would need to be quick to read them before they put heads in trough.
Ankle bracelets would probably get mucked up over winter.
Any other ideas/solutions?

 

[Cowmansam]

Coloured leg bands For each amount off feed blue 1kg yellow 2 etc

 

[pellow]

We used tail tape with numbers once, I guess you need individual ID? And not use coloured tail tape?

 

[Scholsey]

Get a new freeze brander! Can you rebrand them and just use low numbers so there’s room if your trying to brand them 4 figures like a lot of people are on now

 

[Jdunn55]

How many are you milking and how many of the bad heifers?

I'm not freeze branding anything and have told my releif milkers to get on the side and check ear tags until they've learnt who's who! If they're any good within a month or 2 they'll know them off by heart!

 

[Rossymons]

How many are you milking and how many of the bad heifers?

I'm not freeze branding anything and have told my releif milkers to get on the side and check ear tags until they've learnt who's who! If they're any good within a month or 2 they'll know them off by heart!

Good luck with that!

 

[Winklepicker]

Get a new freeze brander! Can you rebrand them and just use low numbers so there’s room if your trying to brand them 4 figures like a lot of people are on now

Been using same guy for years, he did exactly the same with these heifers (batch of 50) but for some reason most of them didnt come out clear

 

[Beef farmer]

How many are you milking and how many of the bad heifers?

I'm not freeze branding anything and have told my releif milkers to get on the side and check ear tags until they've learnt who's who! If they're any good within a month or 2 they'll know them off by heart!

You joking?

 

[In the pit]

How many are you milking and how many of the bad heifers?

I'm not freeze branding anything and have told my releif milkers to get on the side and check ear tags until they've learnt who's who! If they're any good within a month or 2 they'll know them off by heart!

Won’t be long before you’ll be milking every milking every day with every farmer in the vicinity saying “ oh I wouldn’t work for him”

 

[vantage]

Been using same guy for years, he did exactly the same with these heifers (batch of 50) but for some reason most of them didnt come out clear

His irons have lost their edge.

 

[betweenthelines]

How many are you milking and how many of the bad heifers?

I'm not freeze branding anything and have told my releif milkers to get on the side and check ear tags until they've learnt who's who! If they're any good within a month or 2 they'll know them off by heart!

Hope you pay 'em by the hour for all that climbing about!

Bet the cows love it as well.

What happens when a cow loses a tag, does it not get fed?

 

[farmboy]

How many are you milking and how many of the bad heifers?

I'm not freeze branding anything and have told my releif milkers to get on the side and check ear tags until they've learnt who's who! If they're any good within a month or 2 they'll know them off by heart!

How many other herds are your reliefs milking? I don’t think any relief I’ve ever had would do that and I don’t blame them as I wouldn’t do it myself!

 

[betweenthelines]

Why not have a set of charts in the pit with each cow's markings?

Mind you things must be bad if you can't run to a few rolls of tail tape-perhaps Dad's stopped signing the cheques

 

[Jdunn55]

Ahh just realised that they've said no auto id, I thought when they said collars that they were thinking of auto ID so then wouldnt need freeze brand except from the odd one who doesn't scan for whatever reason,

Mine all have auto I'd tags except when they lose them or else if a station stops working, so it's only ever once or twice per milking that they have to check ear tags, I wouldnt make them check every tag to put into the feeder - I'm mean but not that mean

He also knows 75% of them without freeze brand now without having to get on the side now so it has worked - I like people who work for me to know the cows so it forces them to get to know them and quite honestly if they cant be bothered to get to know the cows I'd rather they didn't work for me

As for the op I would say you're basically looking at a tail tape system or finding a way to freeze brand them well enough, don't do what I suggested earlier

 

[Hotspur]

Feed them all the same?

 

[Beef farmer]

Feed them all the same?

It will never catch on

 

[Jdunn55]

That would only work if they're all calving at the same time and little variation in yield, in guessing @Winklepicker is all year round calving?

Feed them all the same?

 

[Farmer Keith]

I’d go for tail tapes myself, I have a laminated card with 1-6 at the bottom of the pit by the feeder control box and just stick a little square of tape by the corresponding value. Simple, effective and cheap. Poor form on the branders behalf to fudge them up twice, did have issues here once but he rebranded FOC and they were right thereafter.

 

[Water Wheel]

Clip Brands ?
Unlikely to make difference especially at this time of year, but just might be worth a try.