Livestock Identification

-program of the United States department of agriculture -identify origin of disease outbreak -communicate disease outbreaks with producers -reduce number of animals involved in disease investigation

Official identification in the form of ear tag, brand, microchip, transponder, and/or tattoo -certificate of veterinary inspection

-a heated, iron rod is used to permanently brand the animal -iron brand is held to animal’s skin for 3-5 seconds -firm pressure is required for a clear brand -resulting brand will be tan and result in a scar

-a frozen, iron or copper brand -temperature of brands is -320 degrees F -site of brand must have hair clipped off and saturated in alcohol -brand must be held in place for 25-30 seconds -white haired animals cannot be freeze branded -cold temperature kills cells that produce color pigment in hair follicles -hair grows back white

-ears are pierced between the 2nd and 3rd cartilage rib -ear tags are flexible, weatherproof, and inexpensive -special ear tagging pliers are used to pierce and place the tag in the ear

-microchip is implanted under the skin -common locations are between shoulder blades or near the base of the ear -use an electronic number that contains records for the specific animal

-same process as regular ear tagging -contains a microchip that relays information specific to that animal -ear tag can be lost or damaged

-a collar is placed around the animal’s neck with an electronic tag attached -easy to use and apply -can cause choking if not applied properly

-skin is pierced with tattoo pliers and ink is applied to the pierced skin -the tattoo pliers imprint a combination of numbers and/or letters into the skin -will be applied to the ear in most species -can be difficult to read if not done properly

-cut a V into the ear of animals -each section of the ear correlates to a different number -primarily used in the swine industry -should only be conducted on young animals (1-14 days old) -causes little pain and is affordable

-a chain or collar is applied around the animal’s neck with a tag attached to it -tag contains a combination of numbers/letters -must not be too loose or tight

-each animal has a unique nose print -ink is applied to the animal’s nose and the print is transferred to paper -can be difficult to obtain a readable print -mostly used in the sheep and cattle industry

-a camera is placed close to the animal’s eye and a photo of the retina is captured -each animal has a unique retina -mainly used for show livestock and/or expensive sale livestock for identity confirmation

-a hair sample and/or nasal swab is taken to obtain the animal’s DNA -provides a proof of parentage, blood type, and can be used to verify the animal’s identity

-only used in poultry industry -a metal or plastic band is placed around the leg -bands can be different colors -bands can contain a combination of letters and/or numbers

-wing badge is placed at the elbow joint of the wing by piercing the skin -badge can be plastic or metal -only used in the poultry industry -primarily used on chickens

-a tiny hole is punched into the web of poultry animal’s feet -each section of the web represents a number -16 number combinations can be created

-use numbers and/or letters to identify animals in a livestock operation -utilized for the purpose of accurate record keeping, animal identification, and animal organization

-uses a 3 to 4 digit number -placed on ear tags or by branding -1st number in the sequence represents the birth year -last 2 our 3 numbers represent individual animal number -ex: 214 or 2114

-animal year is branded above the birth year or placed on an ear tag -ex: 4/14 or 3-14 4=animal number 14=birth year

-birth year is represented by a letter -each breed association designates the letter and year codes -can be placed on the animal in the form of a tag or brand -ex: L405 L=birth year 405=animal number

-assigns only an animal identification number -these numbers run consecutive for the individual operation -ex: 109 109th animal in operation -runs 1-999

-identification certificate -hot iron branding: rump or shoulder -freeze branding: rump or shoulder -lip tattoo: inside of upper lip -electronic microchip: upper neck -dna analysis -retina scan

-ear tags -ear tattoos -hot iron branding: rump or shoulder -freeze branding: rump or shoulder -electronic microchip -neck chains -nose prints