Keeping a track of ewe lambs

[cubby]

Evening tff we have recently taken on a tenacy on a hill farm with 3 separate hills with regular aged ewes.so my question is how are others. Keeping track of the ewe lambs to go back to there own hills getting 2 years out of tups because we will gimmer . So in theory getting upto 6 years from a tup . The ewe lambs will be away wintered in one batch so keel will be easy enough but falls apart at shearing would. Like to hear others ideas thank you

 

[Agrivator]

Ear notch for Cheviots. Or horn burn for blackfaces.

And if they are Easycares - just sodoff.

 

[cubby]

Lol def not easycares we have put Cheviots over blackface the bound flock are aged marked on the horn v easy to visable check I was thinking ear notch wife wasn’t to keen as a vet. Powers that be frown on it seemingly ear notch that would be my choice thank you

 

[johnspeehs]

Lol def not easycares we have put Cheviots over blackface the bound flock are aged marked on the horn v easy to visable check I was thinking ear notch wife wasn’t to keen as a vet. Powers that be frown on it seemingly ear notch that would be my choice thank you

Another farming tradition they want to kick in to touch but we MUST tag everything, I would have thought a clean notch would have less chance of causing a welfare issue than some of the awful festering ears I've seen with badly inserted ear tags.

 

[Al R]

Ear notching would be easiest, I do different placements for different breeds, 11 different notches so far to show purity of breeds, ie first cross, second cross, third cross, pure

 

[Al R]

@cubby I’ve put the EID tag in the opposite ear on 1 breed so I can easily draft out again when their older or whenever I want to. You can also have letters put onto tags after the numbers, it’s easy to see the letter’s after the number as it’s noticeably longer, dot mark on the head in a race then draft out

 

[Woolless]

Different coloured pins on tags? Roxan offer that as an option. Notches easier to see, no doubt.

 

[primmiemoo]

Different colour eartag each year helps. Tattoo a year letter in the ear can be handy, as long as it isn't the ear the fox has eaten when you find the e. lamb d., of course.

 

[JD-Kid]

here diffrent colour for each year and with the numbers on tags start with the year IE born this year 200001 upwards last year 190001
if tag comes out easy to just check there teeth

 

[Al R]

here diffrent colour for each year and with the numbers on tags start with the year IE born this year 200001 upwards last year 190001
if tag comes out easy to just check there teeth

We ran a system like that pre EID so 04001 was 2004 born plus changed colours each year but UK law now states it has to be a running number so now I’m on 9700’s but next year will be 10,000’s. We can use a different colour on the non EID tag for the year though

 

[Guiggs]

Tag all ewe lambs at birth, different colours for different groups,and just keep the ones you want when the time comes to pick them out.

 

[Fendt516profi]

I think his point is he wants to keep them but beable to split them into their hefts when they are ready to join flock. Answer is Eid tag them read them then add the info of which heft they belong when you get them back in read them and the info will flash up. You've got to use Eid so might as well make it work for you

 

[Top Tip.]

The paint mark only has to last the winter as they will be going back to there hefts as they come of the wintering. It is more important to keep a track of the tups so that they only get two turns on each hill. It is very easy to over complicate a simple job. I would always go with an ear mark on a hill flock as you can lose a tag but you can’t lose an ear mark.

 

[Estate fencing.]

you can’t lose an ear mark.

You haven’t met my old dog!

 

[Bob the beef]

Ear notch here. As said above tags fall out, stop reading etc but an ear notch is for life

 

[cubby]

Thanks for reply’s as @ top tip says easy to complicate a simple job I have noted where all tups have gone the hills will all stay separate glimmers to 4 crop and hopefully get up to 6 turns with Cheviots if I keep the ewe lsmbs right thank you

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Lol def not easycares we have put Cheviots over blackface the bound flock are aged marked on the horn v easy to visable check I was thinking ear notch wife wasn’t to keen as a vet. Powers that be frown on it seemingly ear notch that would be my choice thank you

I have 2 different hill flocks. The earmark on one requires 4 snips. The other requires 6. They are both to be found in the official bible, 'Clustnodau Arfon a'r Gororau', (Arvon and District Earmarks).

 

[Moors Lad]

A sharp pair of shears (or sharp plastic foot shears) will take an end off an ear with little blood when young . Right ear one year, left ear next, and 3rd year both off. Very quick and easy. You could get a punch for right and left ears for the next 2 years. We`ve used both techniques with no problems - but done young! Different colour and make/style of tag is another useful tool.

 

[cheviot53]

Year born notch in one ear , flock notch + hill / heft notch in second ear plus different color tag each year ( allowed in scotland ) cull mark is tip of year ear . And just keep a record of which ram goes where