Sheep management tags big enough for a name?

[Becs]

This may be a really stupid idea but bare with me please! I'm looking for management tags for my flock of 250 sheep that are big enough to write a (mostly 3-digit) name on.The reason being that I have done this with our 75 cattle and I'd say it's improved my animal husbandry 10-fold as I can now look at any one of them and can remember their medical history, past calvings, temperament, age etc which I could never do with just numbers (unless they had distinctive features).
I've really tried to embrace eid with the sheep but it's just not working out for me. For instance, if I catch a ewe with a bad foot I've never got my wand with me (too big) so I'm rummaging about trying to find my phone to take a photo of it's number and then, once recorded, it's forgotten. Whereas, I'd remember if it was Flo or Meg and wouldn't need my phone, and I'd also remember if I'd treated her before (I'm great with names but rubbish with numbers) It'd also be great at lambing as I keep paper records so could record info on file so much easier. I think, like the cattle, I'd also soon recognise most individuals by sight once the name had stuck in my head. I've seen sheep with biggish management tags with 3-digit numbers on and I'm looking for similar but blank. Any ideas?

 

[Alistair]

The Roxan Rubba Flags seem big enough to put a short name on. Give them a ring and I'm sure they would send a sample out 01750 724110

 

[GTB]

Are there 250 three digit female names?

 

[Philip Watkins]

Are there 250 three digit female names?

Here's 500 odd http://www.nancy.cc/3-letter-girl-names/

 

[Mcnulty24]

I am thinking the same, Zeetags from NZ work well but need to be imported.

The roxan rubba sheep tags are a bit too small to see from any diatance. They do a flexible cattle tag with a flag female and a button male that can be written on for less money than importing zeetags. Haven't used them so not sure about retention though.

 

[Alistair]

Some of my sheep have what I understand to be Lleyn breed society tags produced by Roxan rubba. I don't know if these are larger than the normal flag style tags tags they produce but I would have thought these would be large enough for your requirements as I can read their numbers from a couple of meters away and can identify individual sheep.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

Once saw some young lambs that had big square calf tags put in as newborns, by a lazy man.

Their ears lopped over and didn't grow right

Would a sheep with a big tag just rip it out more often?

 

[Mcnulty24]

Not to go into lambs, put into shedlings over the summer.

I bought some drafts with Zeetag flag tags in their ears, haven't lost any and they have been very handy picking out individuals when the ewes were mobbed up.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

I chatted to @Romney_Rob 's brother at sheep sw, he suggested they had vaguely considered importing z tags to sell (they import them to use themselves).
I wish they would, and suspect there'd be fair interest on here. Nudge nudge Rob.
Or perhaps I could tag on (excuse the pun) to your order?

 

[scatterbrainedlass]

We've used the Roxan Rubba tags for our breeding lambs (large management number printed on rather than blank for our own name) and they are easy to see without having to catch the lamb. We put the tags in at a couple of days old and though some of them dragged the ears down a bit at the time, they look fine now.

 

[newbie]

I have shearwell data small management tags for cattle and sheep. I think they're called combi 3000 but I might just be making that up!
They don't sell them blank on their website but if you ring them they'll send you some out.
They are perfect for the job... the only problem I'm having with them is getting the name to stay on and not wash off over a period of months. I'm thinking of maybe getting some weatherproof stickers made up for them?? Has anyone else found a pen that lasts for years?

 

[shearerlad]

I use the the Allflex tag pen for management tags on the cows, lasts for years.
I write the numbers and leave to dry for a few hours then rewrite again. 2 coats of ink will stand the test of time

 

[newbie]

I use the the Allflex tag pen for management tags on the cows, lasts for years.
I write the numbers and leave to dry for a few hours then rewrite again. 2 coats of ink will stand the test of time

Thanks. I'm googling it now

 

[Woolly]

You could spray their name on their side. See that from dozens of yards away. We spray their number on all our ewes at tupping time and after lambing + lambs too. Saves a lot of management time. Lasts several months.

 

[Becs]

Thanks for the replies. I've just ordered the Roxan Rubba tags and am looking forward with trying my new system!

 

[Becs]

Just to update - the ewes are all now sporting their Roxan rubba name tags and I'm loving them already! It took a few hours to get the tags in a record the names to tag number (all in a trusty notebook - no more technology for me!). I had them in the other evening to sort out a few lame ones and it was so much easier to jot down 3-digit names rather than reading or scanning numbers and then later in the week, when I ran them through the foot bath, I could pick out the ones I'd previously treated to see if they'd improved just by glancing at their name tag as they went past. Names rock!

 

[CopperBeech]

You could spray their name on their side. See that from dozens of yards away. We spray their number on all our ewes at tupping time and after lambing + lambs too. Saves a lot of management time. Lasts several months.

On a side note, I like to spray names on those lambs / ewes that are always out of the fence. When joe public rings up, and reports an escaped sheep, you're like 'is that eric?'. . . . no. . . . 'oh its laura'. . . . right ho, don't worry, she's a free spirit.

 

[jemski]

On a side note, I like to spray names on those lambs / ewes that are always out of the fence. When joe public rings up, and reports an escaped sheep, you're like 'is that eric?'. . . . no. . . . 'oh its laura'. . . . right ho, don't worry, she's a free spirit.

Love this!!!!

 

[Woolly]

Fun for our holiday let kids too. They get to know who the tame ones are.

 

[Roxan Tags]

Hi Becs, thank you for choosing ROXAN Rubba Tags, their larger surface area making them perfect for adding additional print information. Rubba Tags are made from soft, flexible material, they're strong and durable, and we offer a range of useful management options and shape combinations with them.