Lamb tags recommendation?

[steveR]

Never had to tag young lambs before as all lambs are sold as fat, but I am wanting to do the female lambs with breeding eid tags this time, as the intention is to keep a fair few back for breeders....

I use Allflex QWIKEiD for slaughter tags but wondering if they are a bit large for young lambs as Breeding tags....? Bubblegum any good? Never got on with their button tags, even in ewes!

Any recommendations please?

 

[pgk]

Never had to tag young lambs before as all lambs are sold as fat, but I am wanting to do the female lambs with breeding eid tags this time, as the intention is to keep a fair few back for breeders....

I use Allflex QWIKEiD for slaughter tags but wondering if they are a bit large for young lambs as Breeding tags....? Bubblegum any good? Never got on with their button tags, even in ewes!

Any recommendations please?

After many brands settled on shearwell, they now do some 2mm longer for the texels which we are trying for first time this year.

 

[Tim W]

Shearwell set tags

 

[Sheepfog]

Used to use Shearwell but stopped since the EID tags either fallout, snap, or the visual number fades so you can’t read it.

Have switched to Allflex Bubblegum (as they do a similar range of colours) so will see how they go.

 

[Agrivator]

Why do you need to double tag the potential breeding ewe-lambs before (say) weaning.

Apart from the damage it can do to their ears, if one dies, you'll need to record the number and enter it in your flock record.

The least you can do is maybe ear notch, with a decent sized notcher, any that you think are worth keeping, and it can also serve as an age indicator if you can't alter the tag colour each year. You can have six ages - just go round the two ears, left back, left tip, left front, right front, right tip,right back.

 

[hill farmer]

We've started tagging some lambs younger the last couple of yrs, at about 4-5weeks old, much easier to tag ewe lambs than at about 9 months.
We tag possible replacements with roxan tags and fats with shearwell, find the roxan nicer and easier to put tags in, in the 'right' place.
I use the little pink/blue applicator for the roxan tags not the auto- tagger

 

[neilo]

Why do you need to double tag the potential breeding ewe-lambs before (say) weaning.

Apart from the damage it can do to their ears, if one dies, you'll need to record the number and enter it in your flock record.

The least you can do is maybe ear notch, with a decent sized notcher, any that you think are worth keeping, and it can also serve as an age indicator if you can't alter the tag colour each year. You can have six ages - just go round the two ears, left back, left tip, left front, right front, right tip,right back.

The time to select potential female replacements must surely be at lambing, when you can deselect any from poor mothers? If any show traits that preclude them from retention later on, then they have cost 10p more than the slaughter tag they need anyway, for tagging them earlier.

Or pick the replacements out at weaning, choosing all the strongest from the singles and the twins that reared one…

 

[neilo]

I’ve been using Shearwell Set tag pairs at birth for over a decade. The only issues have come about later in life, when the retention of Shearwell tags has gone to sh*t in recent years.
I changed my pedigree lambs to larger Caisley tags this time, after using them in my Beltex lambs previously. Again done at birth, they haven’t caused any issues from their size, and I fully expect retention to be near 100%. Much dearer than Shearwell Set tags though, and more of a fag for putting in.
I’ve stuck with Shearwell (for now) for my crossbred flock.

 

[andybk]

I dont know what tags the french use (all pedigree use the same type ) , but they are huge and can be read at a distance (like cattle tags ) they are very rubbery , but i have never lost one or had one break , maybe one of our european contributors can tell me ?

 

[spin cycle]

i'd like a simple little coloured tag that you could cut out/replace later

 

[steveR]

Thanks all.

I am familiar with the Shearwell tags and have ruled them out after previous issues...

Gonna have a look at a Roxan tag tonight.

 

[steveR]

i'd like a simple little coloured tag that you could cut out/replace later

Ahhh, the "cattle dealer's tag" you mean...

 

[Nithsdale]

It isn't often a agree with the man(?) above, but on this occasion...


I just ear notch all ewe lambs I think I want to retain at banding (as soon after birth as possible). At weaning I can 3-way draft ewes, notched ewe lambs and then the wedders and unwanted ewe lambs. Then it's just a case of rejecting the bottom end.

Ewe lambs which are retained are than ran through the gripper getting dagged, bolused, wormed and tagged (change tag colour every year so I can age a ewe without needing to mouth or physically read/check tag numbers).




Unless linking lambs back to their mothers and recording, I see no point to tagging at birth. But, each to their own and the Roxan tags are very light, and would be good for that job (I use them as my slaughter tag)

 

[gatepost]

Left Shearwell after yrs, due to older tags breaking and huge annual replacement job for peds, went to Roxanne can't physically read the tags after a few months, but retention better though not perfect, now back with Shearwell for peds as at least I can read the no to order the replacement! and Roxanne for all the tags I never have to look at again, all lambs tagged at birth.

 

[steveR]

From looking at the website, the Roxan tags need the auto tagger? Looks neat, but maybe not really needed on just a cuppla hundred.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

It isn't often a agree with the man(?) above, but on this occasion...


I just ear notch all ewe lambs I think I want to retain at banding (as soon after birth as possible). At weaning I can 3-way draft ewes, notched ewe lambs and then the wedders and unwanted ewe lambs. Then it's just a case of rejecting the bottom end.

Ewe lambs which are retained are than ran through the gripper getting dagged, bolused, wormed and tagged (change tag colour every year so I can age a ewe without needing to mouth or physically read/check tag numbers).




Unless linking lambs back to their mothers and recording, I see no point to tagging at birth. But, each to their own and the Roxan tags are very light, and would be good for that job (I use them as my slaughter tag)

That's almost exactly what we do. I have a few lines that I definitely want to keep gimmers from and just spray a red spot on the back of the neck and top it up until I think they're big enough to take normal breeding tags

 

[gatepost]

From looking at the website, the Roxan tags need the auto tagger? Looks neat, but maybe not really needed on just a cuppla hundred.

You can pop them in the ordinary pliers, but take a bit more breaking off the strip, I use the auto tagger , but its not perfect but generally saves a lot of time.

 

[andybk]

the french ones turned out to be allflex ovina anyone use them here ? easy to read just wondered what retention is like
says pairs but is that normal flag front and yellow eid back ? or physical pair

Mini EiD Button Yellow and Ovina Visual Green

Allflex Mini EiD Button Sheep Tags - Breeding Pairs: Mini EiD Button Yellow and Ovina Visual Green. Your next animal numbers will be issued automatically.

shop.allflex.co.uk

 

[Nithsdale]

the french ones turned out to be allflex ovina anyone use them here ? easy to read just wondered what retention is like
says pairs but is that normal flag front and yellow eid back ? or physical pair

Mini EiD Button Yellow and Ovina Visual Green

Allflex Mini EiD Button Sheep Tags - Breeding Pairs: Mini EiD Button Yellow and Ovina Visual Green. Your next animal numbers will be issued automatically.

shop.allflex.co.uk

It's a pair - 1 yellow button tag and 1 matching ovina flag tag.

Pretty sure that's what Lleyn society use for the rams. Retention is fine so far, last tups I bought was in 2019 and both still have their tags anyway