USDA tags scrappie tags

[Womwotai]

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?

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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:

 

[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…..

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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?