Animal Identification
Ear Tattooing
tattoo placed inside the ear
Right ear
Divided in 5 sections
represents the litter number
Cattle
Bovine
Bull
Intact male
1st calf Heifer
a young female that is pregnant with her first calf
Ear Tagging
Numbered ear tag placed in a ear
Most populate identification method
Allows the farmer to easily identify the animal from a distance
Left ear
Divided into 3 sections
Represents pig number
Goat
Caprine
Cow
Mature female
# of main Beef Cattle Production Systems
3
Branding
Permanent Identification
Identifies a particular farm ownership
Important for free range animals
Maximum __ notches per section
Except for ___ spot which can only have __ notch
2
81, 1
Sheep
Ovine
Calf
Adolescent
Cow - Calf Producers
Permanent herd of bees cows bred to produce 1 offspring per year.
Calves are kept with Cow for 6-10 months then sold
Ear Notching
Commonly used in pigs and beef cattle
Notches are cut into the ear at specific locations to represent a number
Pigs: right ear = litter number, Left ear: pig number
161 litters, 26 pigs per litter
Pigs
Swine or Porcine
Heifer
Young female
Purebred Producers
Keep herds of pure breeding stock
Provide replacement bulls for cow-calf operations
Microchips
Helpful in identifying stolen or missing animals
Maximum number of pigs a farmer can mark
4,186 individual pigs
Chicken
Poultry or Fowl
Steer
Castrated Male
Cattle Feeders
Stocker Calf Operation: raising weened beef calves or yearlings on roughage to add weight before they are sold to a feedlot.
Feedlot Operation: large # of cattle raised in small areas and fed predominantly grains to maximize weight gain before slaughter
Feed claves for market slaughter