Goat tattoo is wrong

[goatyyymama164]

We had a lady that had been raising milk goats for a few years come out to tattoo our kids. First of all, she argued with us that for the ADGA tattoo that you put the number on the kids ear as the number of goat kids the mother had her whole life, not the number of kids born that year. We are so new to goats we just let her do it, then later we realized that was wrong, and now one of the ladies that bought one is complaining about how terrible we did at tattooing and registering, ect. The tattoo lady also used the SAME number for 2 of our girls, now that is a BIG problem, right? This is our first year and we wish we knew how to fix this as all the kids have already left our farm. We are in such a mess and we don't think we are going to do the whole registering process again next year. Please help us! Advice?

 

[Alaskan]

We had a lady that had been raising milk goats for a few years come out to tattoo our kids. First of all, she argued with us that for the ADGA tattoo that you put the number on the kids ear as the number of goat kids the mother had her whole life, not the number of kids born that year. We are so new to goats we just let her do it, then later we realized that was wrong, and now one of the ladies that bought one is complaining about how terrible we did at tattooing and registering, ect. The tattoo lady also used the SAME number for 2 of our girls, now that is a BIG problem, right? This is our first year and we wish we knew how to fix this as all the kids have already left our farm. We are in such a mess and we don't think we are going to do the whole registering process again next year. Please help us! Advice?

Well.... that just bites...


For people that complain... I think you just need to memorize a 1 or 2 line answer, and keep repeating those same lines until they go away.

So like " I am so sorry for the trouble this has caused you, it was our first year to do this." Maybe add something like " if you know how I can fix the registration, just tell me." But don't say "how can I fix this" because then they will ask for their money back.

Other than that... try to find a sympathetic ear that understands these things to see if there is some why through the mess.


Me though... i never participated in registering animals.

 

[Mini Horses]

Call the registry for clarification and correction advice. It's fixable.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Like Mini suggested - I'd definitely call and get info straight from the registry. I wonder if you can re-tattoo in the tail web or switch to a microchip? No idea if the registries allow that though...

 

[Jesusfreak101]

My old garden has weeds, sunflowers(didn't plant), tomatoes(didn't plant) and eggplant that I planted last year and it came back. The tomatoes seedlings are thick.... have to many must find a home for.

 

[goatyyymama164]

We fixed it and just told the lady that bought one of the other girls that had the other 2 tattoo and she was totally fine with it and was really understanding, she said that she might not register her so it probably won't be a problem. For the other buyer we brought her a new pedigree and told her that we had filled it out wrong so hopefully no problems there!

 

[Ridgetop]

This was an unfortunate learning experience. You won't make the same mistake again, including allowing anyone else to tell you what to tattoo. DH and I bred rabbits for many years and showed them. One year DH offered to help the Grange kids with their meat pens and tattoo all the meat pens for the Grange kids but the leader had a grudge against 4H (us) and refused our help. She had her husband tattoo them in the wrong ears. All 30 meat pens were disqualified by the judge! None of those kids could not auction!

Tattoo requirements must be adhered to. All species and breed registries are strict about the means they require to identify individual animals. The animal's identification must match the registration paperwork. We had a large herd of dairy goats which my 4 children showed across the state. We had to tattoo both ears and tail web since we had Nubians and LaManchas.

You need to get the information from ADGA about correcting your tattoos and the registration paperwork since the registration tattoo requirements are strict. The left must have the letter designated by ADGA for the birth year of the kid, P is for 2022). The year tattoo letter is usually followed by the birth sequence number of kids born in that year.

The right ear tattoo is your herd number which is assigned to you by ADGA. When you join ADGA they will assign you a herd number if you do not ask for a specific one. You can retattoo and correct the registration but you need to contact ADGA and make sure that the tattoos are in the correct ear and do it the right way.

Here are the tattoo requirements from the ADGA website:

"All dairy goats must be tattooed before they can be accepted for registry or recordation in the herd books of the American Dairy Goat Association.

GOAT’S RIGHT EAR, RIGHT TAIL, OR CENTER TAIL​

It is strongly recommended that all breeds be tattooed in the ears, except the LaMancha which should be tattooed in the tail web. A maximum of four letters and/or numerals are allowed for your assigned tattoo. However, no tattoos will be assigned utilizing one letter followed by a number(s), e.g., K2, D347.

Members are required to use the tattoo sequence assigned to their membership identification number. They may not use a tattoo assigned to someone else.

If a new membership application is not accompanied by a tattoo application, ADGA will register a tattoo of their choice to the member. The assigned tattoo, if unacceptable, can be changed within 30 days of certification. There is no charge for this service. Your assigned tattoo should be used in the RIGHT ear, right tail, or center tail.

You must use your assigned herd-identifying tattoo letters on any animal born in your herd. It is strongly recommended that animals be tattooed BEFORE they are sold or purchased.

GOAT’S LEFT EAR, LEFT TAIL, OR CENTER TAIL​

One method of individual identification recommended by ADGA for use in the LEFT ear, left tail, or center tail, is to use a letter designating the year of birth – “L”-2019, “M”-2020, “N”-2021, etc. (letters G, I, O, Q, and U are not used) – together with a serial number to designate the order of birth. For example, the first, second, and third kids born into the herd during 2020 should have as their tattoos “M1”, “M2”, and “M3”. (See table below for more Birth Year Letters)

The tattoo will be the permanent identification and will apply to all ADGA programs requiring identification of animals by their tattoo including, but not limited to, registration, linear appraisal, production testing and show.

More information on tattooing can be found in Article VII of the Bylaws and the appendix of the American Dairy Goat Association Guidebook. If in doubt, contact the ADGA office BEFORE tattooing."

It is important to have the correct tattoos because those will be used by either yourselves or your buyers to register any kids you or they breed. Also the correct tattoos are required when showing (if you have children in 4-H or FFA or you yourselves wish to do so) since they will be checked at shows. An improper tattoo can be a disqualification. Clear this up now before you tattoo any other kids.


Also buy a tattoo kit and do it yourself, or load the tattoo gun with the correct numbers yourself and test it before having someone else tattoo. IMPORTANT!!! Always use a piece of paper to test the tattoo and make sure it is correct since you need to load the letters and numbers BACKWARDS! Be sure to order a tattoo pen as well since you occasionally will need to touch up faded tattoos. You can use a flashlight behind the ear to see a faded tattoo.

Hope this helps you in future. Good Luck with your goats!