Metal Ear Tags
Ketchum offers a variety of livestock tags, cattle tags, and other assorted metal tags. We can assist in making your livestock identification process fast, clean and tamper-proof. We utilize corrosion-resistant steel for the cattle tags with a sharp point. This enables the user to pierce the ear and apply the cattle identification tags cleanly for faster healing.
Ketchum also offers custom cattle tags to meet your identification needs. You can have custom sequential numbers imprinted, along with names, addresses or initials. Our cow tags can be personalized to match your identification system.
Many farmers use our metal tags along with plastic livestock tags to mark vaccinations, breed and age of their animals. Our products are recognized for being long-lasting and durable under even the harshest conditions, but it is possible that a cow ear tag (or other livestock ear tag) can go missing. Make your identification numbers permanent with our high-quality animal tattoo equipment.
Applicators for Metal Ear Tags
Applicators used to apply our various styles of metal ID ear tags.
About Livestock Tagging
Whether you raise livestock as a hobby or as a business, your first and most basic responsibility is to keep your animals happy and healthy; and secondarily, to keep track of your animals. Being able to identify your cows, goats, sheep, pigs, and other large livestock is fundamental to raising, feeding, breeding, and bringing the animals to market, not to mention preventing the spread of herd diseases.
There are many methods of livestock tagging, ranging from branding and tattooing to the wearing of anklets and collars. But by far the most common is to use metal or plastic ear tags to identify livestock, since colored, imprinted tags are relatively inexpensive and are capable of conveying more information, more visibly, than earmarks or brands.
It is important that ear-tagging be done properly, including the preparation and the after-care. Think of it as getting your animal’s ears pierced: the name of the game is quickness and hygiene to minimize pain and avoid infection. Whether cow tags or goat tags or some other kind of identification for domesticated creatures, the following tips apply equally to all animals receiving livestock ear tags.
How Livestock Ear Tagging Works
- Secure the animal in a narrow chute to restrict movement.
- Mark the spot on the ear where the tag will be placed
- Using rubbing alcohol or other disinfectant solution, clean the area of the animal’s ear to be tagged as well as the jaw of the applicator.
- Place each side of the tag into the applicator, and make sure the stud is aligned with the hole.
- Position the applicator on the tagging site of the animal’s ear.
- Fast and firmly squeeze the tagging applicator, and then release.
- Verify that the tag is correctly and securely positioned on the ear, and record any necessary data in reference to the animal.
- To prevent infection, every day for the next five to seven days (or longer as needed) apply hydrogen peroxide topically to the ear tagging puncture site until it is fully healed. If a serious infection ensues, consult your veterinarian for assistance and recommendations for treatment.