Branding Ruminants

[pandiana]

One of the criteria for entry of live ruminants into the US Feedlots is that they are to be branded CAN. I can see why this would be a good way to keep track of Canadian cattle in feedlots. However, as live sheep, goats, llamas etc., are also to be allowed in, they also must be branded, at least according to the Q&A on rules posted.

How does one brand sheep?

[JD4ME]

could get pretty smoky around the branding area, when the wool starts to burn !!! Just kidding !!! I would assume that some sort of tatoo or freeze brand in the ear would be what is required.

[grassfarmer]

Pandiana, you can brand sheep but only if they have horns! The Scottish Blackface and a few other breeds are suitable for this. You burn a 0 or a v or whatever your flock mark is onto the horn when it's still growing. Also at each shearing you can put a saw cut in the back of the horn or a nick in the ear which allows you to age them. You can even do both horns in case one breaks off - double tagging! Seriously though I imagine tattooing would be the way to go.

[JD4ME]

Youa re correct about the brand it is though C/N thought thats slitting hairs and the sheep etc is just a C, they all need to be eartags as well ccia tags ie.

[JD4ME]

grrrr the brand is C/N darn computer

[JD4ME]

Double Grr the puter won't do it right its an open capital A I think youd call it a C incline Bar decline bar N
sorry

[Willowcreek]

Pandiana- I've seen sheep branded before on the nose or face.

[WoolyBear]

I don't care how important the damn US of $#^$@ America is to our market there is NO WAY I am going to brand any of my cattle or sheep........ If the feedlot wants to they can go right ahead and do it, I'll be just about the first one to join PETA or any of that type of rifraf before my sheep get branded on their NOSE........ Think about it people that is just plan cruel!!!

[Willowcreek]

WoolyBear- From my understanding of the impending border rules you will not have to brand any of your livestock as long as they are slaughtered or sold in Canada-the ID tags will suffice- The only animals needing to be branded will be the live ones being exported to the US.

[cakadu]

Aren't the ear tags and the fact that they will be wired for sound - so to speak - with the RFID tags in their ears be enough to satisfy any requirements? Isn't that the reason we got this whole trace back system in the first place - to be able to tell where the animals came from?

Being inexperienced with cattle, are they no longer branded?

I'm not sure how many, if any, lambs get exported live across the border. I know that the lions share of lamb production gets shipped to the U.S., which has really jammed up sheep producers.

All the more reason for new markets and less reliance on one particular market no matter how close, how easy or how much they take. Never, ever again should we be caught like this.

[cakadu]

branding cattle is a matter of choice by the producer Linda. It isn't mandatory to brand cattle, in fact I would venture a guess that a lot of producers don't own a registered brand.
I haven't branded my cattle in years, they are purebred and are tattoed, and are pastured at home so I am not overly worried about having to identify them in someone elses bunch.

[cowman]

Surely in this day and age we can come up with a better solution than burning animals? No matter how you view branding, everyone should realize how cruel it looks to the urban consumer?
Now maybe PETA has been a little slack in getting that message out? The cattle business has sort of got a free ride as the animal rights people focus on factory farms?
So if you want to practice various cruel practices on your animals you really shouldn't broadcast it too loudly, or you might get PETA knocking on your door!

[cowman]

branding cattle of course stems from cattle being grazed on open ranges where no-one used BARB WIRE ! I have sat in auction barns and seen some of the horrific messes people have made of branding cattle. Frying is more like it. There has to be a better way of identification.

[WoolyBear]

I did a search last night about " How to Brand Sheep" and came to an Austalian site. They use a "brand" on their ID tags that I would consider equivalent to our "Canada" mark that is on the RFID, barcode, and the Pink sheep tags. Surely to goodness this should be sufficient.

Maybe the USDA should test brand themselves just like police officers have to experienc tazers and pepper spray. <grin>. I've been burned enough times to know what it feels like.

[pandiana]

As those of us who tattoo and/or have hairy animals, tattoos, RFID's, pink sheep tags, all require restraining the animal and searching for the ID (good luck required in some cases). It seems to me the branding was to provide a highly visible mark on pens of animals to make sure they were in the correct pen...reducing mistaken identity in the feedlots. Also, as we know tags fall off.