# USDA tags scrappie tags



## 20kidsonhill

A reminder and some information on scrappie tags in the USA.  If you are a breeder and selling a goat or sheep that was born on your farm your animal is suppose to be scrappie tagged or in some cases can be sold tattooed with registration paperwork from one of the registries. 

Here is a website link about this and how to get scrappie tags for your farm.  The tags are free so there is really no reason to not register your farm. 

http://www.eradicatescrapie.org/

A link to a good discussion about Scrappie tags.  http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=21835&p=1


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## goatboy1973

We have been involved in the USDA Scrapie Eradication Program for a year now. There is a bit of paperwork to complete in the form of a questionnaire but once it is complete, the tags are sent to your address along with an Alflex ear tag applicator all FREE. By participating in this program, you are helping the government trace an animal from its source to the current owner in the event that this animal was to show signs or get diagnosed with scrapies or another zoonotic disease (disease that you can catch from an animal). Also, by participating in this program, you expand the marketing possibilities of your goats because more and more buyers and sales and shows are requiring this.


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## bloonskiller911

My wife called and got our premise and scrapie tags ready to be sent to us for our sheep.  Do/Can I use the same tags for our goats?  It is one question I forgot to mention to her before she called, and since it has been over the weekend we haven't had a chance.  I am in Indiana.


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## goatboy1973

I don't know. Excellent question. We only have goats. I would give them a call on Monday. I would assume that you could since on the paperwork it asked all species of animals living on my farm, so I listed the goats and the 2 guard llamas and the 2 border collies. The gvt. knows you have sheep and goats if you put both on the forms. I would be on the safe side though and give 'em a call.


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## goatboy1973

bloonskiller911 said:


> My wife called and got our premise and scrapie tags ready to be sent to us for our sheep.  Do/Can I use the same tags for our goats?  It is one question I forgot to mention to her before she called, and since it has been over the weekend we haven't had a chance.  I am in Indiana.


Great job! We found out about this program when we inquired about selling a trailer load of meat kids at the Abingdon, VA sale and they told us the goats needed a scrapie tag. I googled it and the rest is history. You'll open a bigger marketing door for your livestock sales. I am not one who likes the gvt. Intruding into my life or the gvt. Meddling into people's lives too much, but sometimes you have to play their game to accomplish a personal goal and open up more opportunities.


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## taylorm17

I did look at this. I know some about scrappie, but have some questions. Does it affect ALL breeds of goats. How can they get it besides contact with other goats. Should I be highly concerned about my goats getting it. Should that be something I should ask about when buying a new goat? hanks for any advice or tips.


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## SheepGirl

Yes, it can affect any breed of sheep or goat. In sheep, some are genetically resistant to the disease. You can select for Scrapie resistant sheep by purchasing an RR ram and breeding him to your unknown ewes. Or having all your sheep genotyped and culling the QQ stock. 

Sheep that are RR at Codon 171 are genetically resistant to two of the I believe three strains of Scrapie. QR sheep are genetically resistant to at least one strain. QQ sheep at Codon 171 are susceptible to the disease _if exposed to it_. Generally if your sheep are QR or QQ it is recommended to have them tested at Codon 136 (which is the genetic susceptibility to another strain of Scrapie). For the most part, all RR sheep are AA at Codon 136. QR & QQ sheep can be AA, AV, or VV at Codon 136.

To my knowledge there is no genetic resistance test for goats. However, it is not as common in goats as it is in sheep.

Usually Scrapie is passed through birthing fluids and bedding/soil touched by birthing fluids.

While it is a serious, fatal disease, it is not overly common. Most sheep don't have it. Especially now with the Scrapie Eradication program in place (www.eradicatescrapie.org), there have been fewer and fewer Scrapie cases every year.

Whether buying a sheep or a goat, you should ask and see if they are involved in the Scrapie Eradication program (voluntary or mandatory). Regardless, if you buy any animal it is a legal requirement they have a Scrapie ID tag put in by their farm of origin (where they were born). That way they can be traced back to the potential source (remember how Scrapie is primarily passed through birthing fluids?) and further investigation can take place.


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## taylorm17

Thank you very much for a great reply!


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## Womwotai

20kidsonhill said:


> Here is a website link about this and how to get scrappie tags for your farm.  The tags are free so there is really no reason to not register your farm.
> 
> http://www.eradicatescrapie.org/


Okay, total noob here, but I went to that link and could not find anywhere where you can actually get tags for your farm.  Also, under the "how to comply" tab, it lists steps that need to be taken and step two is "Request a flock ID number from your local APHIS Veterinary Services office."  I am sort of scratching my head here that they are not a little more specific.  What is APHIS and how would I find my "local APHIS Veterinary Services Office"?


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## Womwotai

goatboy1973 said:


> We have been involved in the USDA Scrapie Eradication Program for a year now. There is a bit of paperwork to complete in the form of a questionnaire but once it is complete, the tags are sent to your address along with an Alflex ear tag applicator all FREE.


Do you have a link for how you would sign up for this?


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## SheepGirl

APHIS - Animal Plant Health Inspection Service

Just call 1-866-USDA-TAG and it will connect you with your local office. The MD/VA office has a voicemail and you have to key in a number and it directs you to the dept you need. I believe I pressed 5 for animal ID needs.


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## Womwotai

Ahhh…ok, thanks.  Hmmm…I can't tell you how much I hate making phone calls even to people I know, let alone "cold calling" a government agency.  We don't plan on selling any sheep or goats in the foreseeable future anyway since we want to build our herd, keeping female and butchering male offspring.  So I guess I will hold off and hope that if we ever do get to the point we are going to sell, by then they will have it set up to do it online.


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## SheepGirl

The Eradicate Scrapie program has been in place for years now... don't think there will ever be an online application type thing. Maybe try dropping by your area office in person instead of calling? It only takes 5 minutes to call though.


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## taylorm17

okay. thanks for the information again. I have a few more questions though. I have begun raising Nigerian Dwarfs and plan on breeding them to sell the kids. We plan on tattooing them though and they will all be registered. The ones we have are tattooed and registered and so will the bucks and other does. Should we still have the tags or is this good? Thanks!


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## SheepGirl

@taylorm17, it looks like you can use the tattoos you use to register your goats (http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/901:1-13-04), however, call your APHIS office and just double check with them.


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## taylorm17

okay thank you for all the great information!


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## goatboy1973

I just googled USDA scrapie eradication program and followed the links. The site may have changed a bit since we registered our herd though. If you still have difficulties call your local university agriculture extension office.


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## bloonskiller911

goatboy1973 said:


> I just googled USDA scrapie eradication program and followed the links. The site may have changed a bit since we registered our herd though. If you still have difficulties call your local university agriculture extension office.


That's what we did and they connected us to the BOAH.  Did everything quickly over the phone, a live person even answered with no prompts here in Indiana!! lol Sometimes it is good to be behind the times.


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## Womwotai

SheepGirl said:


> The Eradicate Scrapie program has been in place for years now... don't think there will ever be an online application type thing. Maybe try dropping by your area office in person instead of calling? It only takes 5 minutes to call though.


OK….heart still pumping but I just got off the phone (when I said last week I don't make phone calls….you don't know the extent of it LOL.  I mean, I go hungry before I'll call to order a pizza.)  But - after entering my flock into the Flock Filer program last night, I realized I do need to do this.  My sheep don't have names and the 3 ewes I have are so similar it took me months to find subtle differences in order to tell them apart.  They were difficult to enter into the program - because they don't have tags so I can only go by their description.  Their offspring will be similarly identical, I imagine, so the only way I can really keep good records is by tagging.

So I bolstered myself with extra coffee, bit the bullet and called.  And you're right - they made it easy and best of all, its DONE!!!

Now I'm kind of mad.  I got my goats from one source, and my 6 sheep from 3 different sources.  Of all of them, only the two youngest lambs, acquired in November, have tags.  When I mentioned it to the lady I bought them from, she told me it is the law in our state that all lambs sold MUST have identification.  In other words, the goat seller and first two sheep sellers did NOT comply with the law and I was too much of a novice to know it.

I have no intention of selling lambs for the foreseeable future.  Ewe lambs will be kept as breeders and ram lambs will be wethered and go straight to butcher before they are 12 months old.  But for flock identification purposes, I will tag, and that will help me to keep their pedigrees straight.  And, if I ever do get to the point I want to sell a few, I'll now be doing it legally.


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## taylorm17

Congrats. I'm sure it was a relief having a short easy phone call!


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## Womwotai

Womwotai said:


> OK….I realized I do need to do this.  So I bolstered myself with extra coffee, bit the bullet and called.  And you're right - they made it easy and best of all, its DONE!!!



An update….I called on Monday of last week (Feb 10th) and was told they would arrive in "2-3 weeks" but they just got here - only 11 days after making the call!  So this weekend we will be doing some flock work, both tagging and banding the new lambs.

Question: most of my adults are not tagged.  I naively purchased them that way, unaware that the (3 different) sellers should not have sold unidentified animals.  My adults are my breeders and will be unlikely to leave my property.  I.e., I don't plan to either sell them or eat them.  However the best laid plans….sometimes things happen and who knows if down the road I might have to or want to sell out?  So I'm wondering if I should tag all of them now so that in the event I do one day decide to sell or butcher, I'll be legal leaving the property with them.  Or should I just wait until that situation arises and tag them then?  What would you do?


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## SheepGirl

You could tag them then, so that way in case between now and then (if there's a then) the tags fall out, you won't have to tag them again. Granted the tags are free, but too many rips in the ears and you can't put anymore tags in. My one 2006 ewe has lost 2 or 3 scrapie tags, I haven't put anymore in. My 2009 and two 2012 ewes haven't lost any tags, except the one lost her farm tag (still has her scrapie tag). My 2013 ewes both have their farm tags, but only one has their scrapie tag still. My rams all have their tags in still.

When you do tag, write down the date, tag number, any other tag numbers on the sheep, and who/where you bought them from (buyer's name and address) and the date you bought them.


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## Womwotai

You raise another interesting question @SheepGirl - what is the purpose of having a farm tag in addition to the Scrapie tag?  My adults actually have NO identification - no tattoo, farm tag or scrapie tag.  I was going to let the scrapie tag serve as the identification for any lambs born here (or any adults I do later sell) but hadn't planned to use anything else, so now I'm curious.


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## jodief100

We use the scrapie tags as farm ID tags. 

Some people use different tags or colors for specific identifications such as a different color each year.  Some use one color for boys and another for girls.  The reasons for using separate tags are just a personal choice as what works for you.


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## SheepGirl

I just like the look of two tags in their ears  This is my 2013 ewe lamb before she lost her Scrapie tag. eta: If they lose a tag like this one did, you still know who is who because they still have an ID in. Double tagging is used by larger flocks more commonly, but even though I have a small flock, I still do it.


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## 20kidsonhill

We use farm tags, because the scrappie tags are hard to read form a distance and when we are looking at them all in a group we like to tell quickly who is who. Our farm tags are hand written and coded according to bloodlines. We put scrappie tags on all animals that leave the farm or they are tattooed with registration or both, plus they have a farm ID tag.  So ours may have a tattoo in both ears, farm ID tag and scrappie tag by the time they leave the farm.   It is about $1 per tag for us to buy and hand write the tags, so there is some expense to do that. But so much easier to read from a distance.  But of course it is free just to use the scrappie tags.  Just a matter of personal choice if you want to do a farm ID as well. 

By the way, great information on here about tagging and Scrappie regulations.

Example of our farm tag:


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## Womwotai

Ok, another question….I talked to someone who said she tags females in the left ear and males in the right so that from a distance she knows which is which.  But I just watched a YouTube video to see how its done and they suggested tagging all animals in the right ear, for efficiencies in sale yards etc, as it allows the tag to be read/scanned on the same side by everyone.  

So I guess now I'm questioning which way y'all do it…..


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## SheepGirl

I put Scrapie tags in the left ear for ewes, right ear for rams. Honestly as far as efficiency for sales yards, doesn't make much sense to me. When they're running animals into the entry pen off the trailer, each lamb/sheep does have to be looked at, not only for ID purposes, but to assess the health of the animal. Some auctions don't allow contagious diseases/reportable diseases/sickly animals through. Though most do. Doesn't take much effort to figure out which side the scrapie tag is on, much less glance over a couple inches to the other ear. And then when they go through the chute to the scale, there are people on each side so even if the person isn't on the side of the tag there is another one that is.


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## 20kidsonhill

well, never had our stock yard mention a specific ear to tag in. so not sure about that.  I would ask the stockyard or sale you sell at.  WE do orange tags in a males left ear and white tags in a females right ear.   That way at a very fast glance we can tell what they are and when buyers are visiting they can see quickly who is who, or at least the sex, then the letters at the beginning of the tag are specific dam/bloodlines.  With a scrappie tag you would have to have notes written down of who belongs to who, but that would be one less tag to put in and free tags at that.


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## Southern by choice

Does anyone know the current status of the Scrapie program? We got an e-mail a long time ago about how it would be changing... anyone know what the changes were/are?


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## jodief100

We tag girls on the right, boys on the left.  I would like to do what 20 kids does with her tags but I am too cheep to spend the $1 per tag when the scrapie ones are free.  I keep good records in my spreadsheet so i can look anyone up with their number.  We microchip the registered ones.  I would love to get a pad so I can scan and download info on the spot but that is way to expensive for me.


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## purplequeenvt

Southern by choice said:


> Does anyone know the current status of the Scrapie program? We got an e-mail a long time ago about how it would be changing... anyone know what the changes were/are?



I just had to deal with the USDA about all the changes. There was a deadline for letting them know which version of the program you wanted to proceed with and that deadline has passed. We were able to get back in without much issue since we have been part of the program for years. 

Basically, the program is now divided into 2 categories for the voluntary program. I don't know how the mandatory program works. 

Category 1 is the Select. In this program, there are no yearly inspections. You have to keep flock records on who went where when, who died (and why). There is also a required number of animal samples depending on flock size. For our flock it is 1 animal every two years. This would be an animal that died or was slaughtered. You'd call your vet or the state vet and they'd come out and collect a sample of the brain stem. There is no scrapie free certification. 

The other category is Export. This one has yearly inspections, lots of record keeping, animal sampling, etc... You can get certified scrapie free. There's more to this category, but it's too complicated to explain like this. This one is for the larger farms where they want to be exporting animals, embryos and such.


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## goatboy1973

Womwotai said:


> OK….heart still pumping but I just got off the phone (when I said last week I don't make phone calls….you don't know the extent of it LOL.  I mean, I go hungry before I'll call to order a pizza.)  But - after entering my flock into the Flock Filer program last night, I realized I do need to do this.  My sheep don't have names and the 3 ewes I have are so similar it took me months to find subtle differences in order to tell them apart.  They were difficult to enter into the program - because they don't have tags so I can only go by their description.  Their offspring will be similarly identical, I imagine, so the only way I can really keep good records is by tagging.
> 
> So I bolstered myself with extra coffee, bit the bullet and called.  And you're right - they made it easy and best of all, its DONE!!!
> 
> Now I'm kind of mad.  I got my goats from one source, and my 6 sheep from 3 different sources.  Of all of them, only the two youngest lambs, acquired in November, have tags.  When I mentioned it to the lady I bought them from, she told me it is the law in our state that all lambs sold MUST have identification.  In other words, the goat seller and first two sheep sellers did NOT comply with the law and I was too much of a novice to know it.
> 
> I have no intention of selling lambs for the foreseeable future.  Ewe lambs will be kept as breeders and ram lambs will be wethered and go straight to butcher before they are 12 months old.  But for flock identification purposes, I will tag, and that will help me to keep their pedigrees straight.  And, if I ever do get to the point I want to sell a few, I'll now be doing it legally.


Congrats!!! You now have an extra layer of protection for your herd and potential customers will have a sense that you care about your animals by registering them with the USDA.


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## goatboy1973

jodief100 said:


> We tag girls on the right, boys on the left.  I would like to do what 20 kids does with her tags but I am too cheep to spend the $1 per tag when the scrapie ones are free.  I keep good records in my spreadsheet so i can look anyone up with their number.  We microchip the registered ones.  I would love to get a pad so I can scan and download info on the spot but that is way to expensive for me.


We put the scrapies tag in the left ear in all of our goats and the farm tag in their right ear. We use Microsoft Excel to keep all our goat info like D.O.B., lineage, BW, WW, YW,....etc. we use a button type goat/sheep tag and depending on breed/ % Spanish etc. our pure 100% Koy Ranch Spanish get a blue tag in their right ear. If they are % Spanish they get a green tag in their right ear, and if the have no Spanish they get an orange tag in their right ear. When we separate our goats this color coding system works awesome! When we have a customer come to the farm, we can give them an abbreviated info sheet (D.O.B., breed, %Spanish etc. and a legend describing what each color denotes). Our customers love this!


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## bloonskiller911

does anyone know how to back track a usda premise number on a tag?


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## SheepGirl

There was a website where you could see people in the voluntary program...I will have to see if I can find it. It doesnt have people for the mandatory program though.


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## SheepGirl

Found it!

https://vsapps.aphis.usda.gov/scrreports/stateSFCPReport


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## bloonskiller911

Thanks for the link.  it was a dead end for me but at least I have tried to back track a tag!


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## goatboy1973

Right now this Scrapie Eradication is purely voluntary but eventually it will be mandatory and already we are seeing big auctions like Abingdon, Virginia only accepting goats/sheep with the I.D. Tag.


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## Pearce Pastures

Here, we don't have to have the tags if they are tattooed and registered.  So long as they have a way to track them down, which is great because I hate tags.


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## OneFineAcre

Pearce Pastures said:


> Here, we don't have to have the tags if they are tattooed and registered.  So long as they have a way to track them down, which is great because I hate tags.


Same here.
We have to have our certification and premise ID when we go to shows.


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## goatboy1973

Pearce Pastures said:


> Here, we don't have to have the tags if they are tattooed and registered.  So long as they have a way to track them down, which is great because I hate tags.


Yeah, I don't like tags or tagging an animal either but darn it sure helps me keep records easier.


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## babsbag

I don't do tags either since my goats are tattooed but the more goats I get and the more they look similar at a glance the more I am thinking tags, but not ear tags, collar tags. I have never seen a dairy goat with an ear tag. How would a person tag a La Mancha? We tattoo the tail web but can't do a tag there.


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## Hens and Roos

got our tags the end of last week- we need them for the kids to show at 4-H fair.


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## misfitmorgan

babsbag said:


> I don't do tags either since my goats are tattooed but the more goats I get and the more they look similar at a glance the more I am thinking tags, but not ear tags, collar tags. I have never seen a dairy goat with an ear tag. How would a person tag a La Mancha? We tattoo the tail web but can't do a tag there.



La Mancha are either tagged in the tail web or tattooed on the tail....you just tattoo your farm id and the scrapie number then dispose of the tag....we clip them shut with the pliers and keep them in a small tupperware in our feed room. I could not put a tag in the tail web i would be way to paranoid the buck would rip it out during rut.


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## Legamin

goatboy1973 said:


> We have been involved in the USDA Scrapie Eradication Program for a year now. There is a bit of paperwork to complete in the form of a questionnaire but once it is complete, the tags are sent to your address along with an Alflex ear tag applicator all FREE. By participating in this program, you are helping the government trace an animal from its source to the current owner in the event that this animal was to show signs or get diagnosed with scrapies or another zoonotic disease (disease that you can catch from an animal). Also, by participating in this program, you expand the marketing possibilities of your goats because more and more buyers and sales and shows are requiring this.


Just a note of response to your information.  I recently signed up for this program and the initial 200 tags were free but the applicator is made by a private company whose ONLY product is the tag applicator.  It cost $35.00 and took just a week to receive after ordering.  I asked about a free applicator and the FDA Scrapies rep. Informed me that they no longer provide the free applicator and they are considering charging for the initial tags after 2025.  I hope that they were misinformed but it jived with the information on their web site.  
If I am somehow misinformed please let me know.  I am helping a young couple get started with sheep and I want to be sure to provide accurate information for them.  I think this should be done by EVERY sheep owner as it can get out of control and decimate wide populations when it is ignored or ‘sold on’ quickly by bent sheep owners who just dont want the losses.


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## Legamin

SheepGirl said:


> Yes, it can affect any breed of sheep or goat. In sheep, some are genetically resistant to the disease. You can select for Scrapie resistant sheep by purchasing an RR ram and breeding him to your unknown ewes. Or having all your sheep genotyped and culling the QQ stock.
> 
> Sheep that are RR at Codon 171 are genetically resistant to two of the I believe three strains of Scrapie. QR sheep are genetically resistant to at least one strain. QQ sheep at Codon 171 are susceptible to the disease _if exposed to it_. Generally if your sheep are QR or QQ it is recommended to have them tested at Codon 136 (which is the genetic susceptibility to another strain of Scrapie). For the most part, all RR sheep are AA at Codon 136. QR & QQ sheep can be AA, AV, or VV at Codon 136.
> 
> To my knowledge there is no genetic resistance test for goats. However, it is not as common in goats as it is in sheep.
> 
> Usually Scrapie is passed through birthing fluids and bedding/soil touched by birthing fluids.
> 
> While it is a serious, fatal disease, it is not overly common. Most sheep don't have it. Especially now with the Scrapie Eradication program in place (www.eradicatescrapie.org), there have been fewer and fewer Scrapie cases every year.
> 
> Whether buying a sheep or a goat, you should ask and see if they are involved in the Scrapie Eradication program (voluntary or mandatory). Regardless, if you buy any animal it is a legal requirement they have a Scrapie ID tag put in by their farm of origin (where they were born). That way they can be traced back to the potential source (remember how Scrapie is primarily passed through birthing fluids?) and further investigation can take place.


Wow! Sounds like you’re on top of this.  If you see my question about Scrapies I would love to get your comments.
Do you have your vet do all the testing or do you draw your own samples and send them in?  I am starting a very specific and delicate breeding program with extraordinary high standards and would love to eradicate or isolate all QQ’s prior to breeding the species.  I will be soon breeding for competition against some very experienced breeders with deep pockets (which mine are decidedly not) and I think it would be an advantage to at least do this simple step so that I can certify my lambs as RR.  There are about 1000 breeding specimens of this breed left in the world and they need every possible advantage against future disease.


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## Legamin

Womwotai said:


> Okay, total noob here, but I went to that link and could not find anywhere where you can actually get tags for your farm.  Also, under the "how to comply" tab, it lists steps that need to be taken and step two is "Request a flock ID number from your local APHIS Veterinary Services office."  I am sort of scratching my head here that they are not a little more specific.  What is APHIS and how would I find my "local APHIS Veterinary Services Office"?


As of this year the USDA will provide free plastic Scrapies numbered tags…but not farm specific tags.  If you want to get farm specific tags on which you can put other farm information all on one mini-tag you can find them at 





						Scrapie Ear Tags - Premier1Supplies
					

Ear tags that meet the USDA Scrapie Eradication Program requirements for sheep and goats.




					www.premier1supplies.com
				



This is PremierOne Supply and they are reasonable in price with good quality


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