Sheep Ear-tags

[Liiz]

Silly question from a non-farmer small animal vet: what age does everyone tag their lambs?

Thanks!

 

[Anymulewilldo]

9 months old or when they leave the farm, whichever comes first

 

[HarryB97]

When I get them in for the first time to Heptivac them i put in their slaughter/breeding tags, all the weighing is done via EID so early tagging is essential.

 

[Guiggs]

Anything that will be kept or potentially kept as replacements will be tagged about 1- 2 days old and anything else tagged when they are drawn to sell as fat or store.

 

[scottish-lleyn]

Few hours old usually or asap after birth.

 

[Liiz]

Great! Thankyou. It seems I have quite a lot of choice there. *hypothetical farmer*

 

[Northeastfarmer]

When they are in the trailer en route to the mart

 

[Agrivator]

With normal births, just as soon as the head appears. Breech births are right out before they are tagged - if they are still alive.

 

[Guleesh]

Morning of sale so they don't have time to lose them.

 

[MOG]

Tag, tail, record, drench dams, check udders etc all withing 24 hours of birth. Use Shearwell tags into front of ear close to head. Tag loses of less than 0.5% in first 12 months.

 

[neilo]

Great! Thankyou. It seems I have quite a lot of choice there. *hypothetical farmer*

If you want to breed/retain your own replacements, then I would suggest you need to identify potential replacements at birth (whether tagging or otherwise). That way you can exclude anything from second rate dams. Sort through those previously identified when you get to weaning, to reject a few more from poorer mothers.

If you buy in replacements and sell all lambs fat, there’s no point in tagging before they leave the farm unless you want to record weight gains or the like.

 

[FIL46]

Tag them after a few days when they come out of the wee pen , easyest way for me and keeps track of the ewe's performing as the lamb grows,
everyone has there own system

 

[Highland Mule]

Tag, tail, record, drench dams, check udders etc all withing 24 hours of birth. Use Shearwell tags into front of ear close to head. Tag loses of less than 0.5% in first 12 months.

Same here, but adding tick treatment to the list this year, after a bad year last year.

Tags, tails, testicles, ticks all before they see their first sunset.