# alternative to hot branding?



## Winnie (Oct 13, 2015)

Saturday all the guys and a bunch of neighbors combined to brand, vaccinate and castrate calves. My question is what are alternatives to hot branding? Our farm is located in New Mexico and I don't know if there are legal issues regarding what is an acceptable form of identification. We are wondering about using the cold brand method and about the bolus RFID or ear tags. In particular, what is the cost of the RFID that the cow swallows? I can find plenty of sales information on the bolus RFID, but here is never a price given. I would rather have someone tell me the pros and cons of identifying our cattle by different means and the cost. Hot branding doesn't cost much except for the man hours, but I am wondering about a method that is less work for guys and something that is still effective. I wonder about permanence as well. For instance, if someone were to steal one of our calves that was identified by an ear tag, that seems to me the tag could be removed and no way to recover that calf. Any advise is greatly appreciated.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Being I am required to use the RFID tags here in Michigan, I will say this about removal of a tag. The cows can remove them, themselves!!

Unless I have extremely creative cows, I am pretty sure others have the same experience with RFID tags. I don't install the tags anymore until just before shipping the critter and I am only using the little round tags. See this site for an example, where the large part is inside the ear.

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=4bd0db3e-3399-41d2-9929-be0889da3c79

I still have a couple of cows that the State's vet installed the tag years ago, that are now AWOL (just so you can't blame missing tags on MY inability to properly install, oh, wait maybe I am as clumsy as the State's people). 

Larry


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## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

Texas and Oklahoma require a brand as legal ownership, ear tags of any kind and tattoos don't count. Some have gone to the freeze brand vs a hot brand. I cannot tell you one is better than the other. Freeze branding changes the pigmentation of the hair hence the ability to see it whereas a hot brand is a scar and in my opinion barbaric, I do neither to my stock, their insured instead. This is just the way I do things, freeze branding requires dry ice and alcohol and a bit of time with the iron against the skin.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

A branding, here, is a bit of a community event. People use it as a chance to get together with neighbors. The costs consist of beverages of choice, lunch, and more beverages of choice. It's also a chance to show off some good horses, maybe a Bronc ride in the middle of it. I guess I don't understand the man hour/ labor comment. 
As to the brand question, hot brands are the fastest, by a good margin. Here, the freeze brand has to also scar the skin to be legal. The bottom line is that I don't think there is more sure way to identify stock, that is as economical.
If I was to go into the reasons for the other options, my comment would belong in the boiler room. I will just say this. Branding had been taking place for many, many years, and it works.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

The government around here is really big into the rfid tags. They figure thats how we can keep track of animals. Will cattle lose the tags all the time. Guys steal cattle, cut the old tags out and put theirs in. A good brand last forever and the live animal never looses it.
The auction marts around here are set up to read the tags. The one auction mart a few years ago when they first got set up with the scanners had a mix up with a couple pens of cattle. Will the official there looking after this new scanner said. "Ok we will run the group back through the scanner. Than sort them one way or anothr" started getting set up to do this. Will the auction mart employees started sorting according to brand. They finished sorting before the other guy got the scanner set up to run them through. 
I haven't branded any of my calves for a few years and iam going back to it after I had a $7000 mix up with my yearlings just last week.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Whats a $7k mix up?


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

deadmoose said:


> Whats a $7k mix up?


I have a loan for some of my cows. The security is the calves at selling. My payment was coming due. I sold some calves but not the calves they had as security. They sent a fax to the auction mart telling them to deduct $7000 of my check payable to them. I didnt find out till after i watched them sell and went to pick up check. Iam not denying I owed them money, just they took the payment out of the wrong set of calves.


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## Ray 54 (Aug 2, 2014)

Like anything else a lot of little things go into getting a good hot iron brand and doing it fast. You don't want a overly large brand or to many connections of the letters to make places to concentrate the heat. If you are in a hurry you need more than one iron or a electric iron. Branding is the most permanent ID you can put on a animal. Tags are joke in brush country that I am in,10% loss or more every year from what I see in the neighbors cattle.

I still try to make it a social event and invite the neighbors but not many cattle people left any more.


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