Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
IDENTIFYING YOUR ANIMALS
You may be wondering, “Do I have to use a numbering system for
identifying individual animals or can I simply name them?” If you
have just a couple of animals, it is easy to remember them by
name, but as your fl ock grows, names become more diffi cult to
track than numbers. My rule of thumb: If you have more than six
head, you probably should be using numbered ear tags, though
you can still name favorite individuals. Some shepherds use ear
notches, neck tags, or other forms of identifi cation, but the plastic
ear tags are inexpensive, easy to use, and usually easy to see from
a fair distance.
Scrapie tags are required by law for all sheep entering inter-
state commerce (being sold outside your state). Many states
also require you to tag any animals that will be removed from the
premises of origin for purposes other than slaughter, so if you get
involved in showing sheep, you should assume that you will need
to tag them. Check
www.eradicatescrapie.org
to learn more about
scrapie-identifi cation requirements where you live.
Premier has the largest selection of tags and can custom imprint
tags for you. (It also has the widest supply of specialty sheep prod-
ucts, and is a great resource for fencing; see Resources.)
At least a dozen companies provide software that makes tracking fl ock
information a snap. These systems include basic animal ID, but they also pro-
vide detailed health and medical records, ration balancing, marketing-related
records (such as dairy, meat-quality, and wool-quality records), and complete
fi nancial records. These programs are easy to use and will pay for themselves
fairly quickly. Several work with handheld devices, such as a “Palm” device,
making them ideal for recording data in the barn or fi eld. Most of the compa-
nies that produce software have free download trials, so you can actually play
with a few before settling on a product. Susan Schoenian has a list of software
programs on her Web site (see Resources for her Web address).
If you want to avoid computers, or if you want to set up your own record sys-
tem on a spreadsheet, here are a few samples to give you an idea:
