Best sheep tags?

[Greythundercloudys]

I use shearwell but going threw the ewes at weekend and there were alot with a tag missing, l often wonder if roxan or other makes are better for staying in, god knows how they come out. Maybe there all the same.

 

[JP1]

I use shearwell but going threw the ewes at weekend and there were alot with a tag missing, l often wonder if roxan or other makes are better for staying in, god knows how they come out. Maybe there all the same.

I'm having similar douts on the Shearwell cattle tags. Seem to lose a lot of them

 

[CollCrofter]

Only problem I've had with Shearwell tags was the original cattle EID ones. It was like they were too heavy and made the hole bigger and lost a few with them being slack. You'll always lose some tags on either cattle or sheep until the day the grass is no longer sweeter on the other side of the fence!

 

[Estate fencing.]

Do you put them on top of the ear? I ask because I tagged 350 ewe lambs (on top) at lambing 2019 that have just been sold and only one lost tag. I bought 450 mules with Shearwell tags all tagged on the bottom and have had to replace 30.

 

[Greythundercloudys]

Bottom., lv got my homebred ewe lmbs to tag, may try them on the top.

 

[Nithsdale]

Cox Qwik eID. I've been using them on my ewe lambs since the start of electronic tagging - so, 10 years now.

They don't fall out. If you lose one, it'll have been ripped out.

 

[Jim75]

Bottom., lv got my homebred ewe lmbs to tag, may try them on the top.

that’s the problem. Did that one yr with ewe lambs and lost heaps. Tagged them on top and been fine since

 

[beardface]

Went onto Caisley couple years ago, expensive but the mutts nuts.

 

[neilo]

I have always tagged at the top of the ear, about a third of the way out from the head, as recommended. Shear well used to have superb retention rates but they have gone to pieces (quite literally) in the last 5 years.
I now find myself replacing around 10% per year, almost always the yellow EID tag, and almost always after snapping on the bend then falling out (very few ripped out).

Unfortunately everyone I’ve spoken to at Shearwell don’t seem to want to know about it, which is a great shame for a company that has always given great service.

I did try some Roxan slaughter tags just to see, but they are just numb to put in the pliers ime, so can’t see getting more of those.

 

[Macsky]

Used roxan last year, nice neat tag, put in the front/top about a third of the way out, only one or two that are missing in 200 gimmers and they have ripped the lug so were obviously caught properly in something, easier to see from a distance too in the front of the ear.

 

[Bob the beef]

Use roxan rubba tags here. Bit of a ball ache to load into pliers but put in front of the ear lose very few ( 2/3 out of 200) .
Cheviot ewe lambs bought in always come with shearwell tags. Fudging nightmare. Got 24 to replace out of 65 gimmers this year..
other benefit of the rubba tag is you get Farm name printed on for free

 

[Greythundercloudys]

I used roxan when tagging first started, based in the Borders, maybe l might give them ago, next year on my replacements.

 

[Wooly]

Lets be honest, they are all crap.

The only people that maintain they are good for 100% retention are the tag manufactorers ................ and the Government belief them !


Tagging sheep with EID have cost the farming industry £millions. Has tracability and food scares improved because of it....No.

 

[Bob the beef]

On the whole have no objection to double tagging of breeding stock, but I really hate the tagging of lambs to go for slaughter. The whole waste of time, energy and more importantly the use of all that plastic to just dump in the bin after a few hours really beggars belief.

 

[CollCrofter]

Lets be honest, they are all crap.

The only people that maintain they are good for 100% retention are the tag manufactorers ................ and the Government belief them !


Tagging sheep with EID have cost the farming industry £millions. Has tracability and food scares improved because of it....No.

I agree, but in my experience having EID along with the Shearwell handheld management thing has been absolutely invaluable to me and supposing the Gov. scrapped EID tomorrow I would continue to buy EID tags (if I could) and use them in all breeding stock purely to continue my pretty detailed records I have built up over the last few years, but I agree that it has cost the industry millions of pounds.

I think those that can look past the red tape and sheer lunacy of tagging slaughter animals only for their 'plastic' tag to be horsed into a wheelie bin sometimes only hours after tagging, can see a very useful tool at their disposal.. it's one of these, every cloud has a silver lining. If the department arrived at my door tomorrow for a sheep inspection it wouldn't phase me at all. Without the EID management software.... my arse would be like a rabbits nose

 

[Nithsdale]

I tag all my ewe lambs as per this picture. I lose very, very few.

When it comes to selling cull, I'm cutting more tags out because the visual number has worn off than I am replacing because ones missing. The individual number is on the outside of the ear... maybe I should put them in the other way round - but that makes reading them harder (I don't have an electronic reader)

 

[Macsky]

I agree, but in my experience having EID along with the Shearwell handheld management thing has been absolutely invaluable to me and supposing the Gov. scrapped EID tomorrow I would continue to buy EID tags (if I could) and use them in all breeding stock purely to continue my pretty detailed records I have built up over the last few years, but I agree that it has cost the industry millions of pounds.

I think those that can look past the red tape and sheer lunacy of tagging slaughter animals only for their 'plastic' tag to be horsed into a wheelie bin sometimes only hours after tagging, can see a very useful tool at their disposal.. it's one of these, every cloud has a silver lining. If the department arrived at my door tomorrow for a sheep inspection it wouldn't phase me at all. Without the EID management software.... my arse would be like a rabbits nose

What all do you record? Tag at birth?

 

[texelburger]

Got my Pure texels in today and,oun

I use shearwell but going threw the ewes at weekend and there were alot with a tag missing, l often wonder if roxan or other makes are better for staying in, god knows how they come out. Maybe there all the same.

I went through my pure Texels ewes,today,and was alarmed at the number of tags missing.These were Shearwell tags and the ear wasn't torn just a neat hole,interestingly they were all the eid ones.Tried ringing Shearwell and couldn't get an answer.Perhaps everybody else is finding the same and ringing for replacements.
Might try another brand at lambing.

 

[neilo]

Got my Pure texels in today and,oun

I went through my pure Texels ewes,today,and was alarmed at the number of tags missing.These were Shearwell tags and the ear wasn't torn just a neat hole,interestingly they were all the eid ones.Tried ringing Shearwell and couldn't get an answer.Perhaps everybody else is finding the same and ringing for replacements.
Might try another brand at lambing.

Exactly what I’ve been finding for all sheep tagged since 2015. The ridiculous thing is that, before that, I would have recommended Shearwell tags to anyone & everyone, based on their superb retention rates.

Quite frankly, the Ministry should be kicking arses over it. The whole idea of traceability is let down by shoddy retention, whatever the make.

 

[texelburger]

Exactly what I’ve been finding for all sheep tagged since 2015. The ridiculous thing is that, before that, I would have recommended Shearwell tags to anyone & everyone, based on their superb retention rates.

Quite frankly, the Ministry should be kicking arses over it. The whole idea of traceability is let down by shoddy retention, whatever the make.

Yes,same here 2015 onwards.Some of the eid ones couldn't be visibly read as the numbers had faded badly.The non end ones weren't faded.Strange.