Tattoo
The Clear Creek Farms Way
|
Before we bought our
first goats, we talked to several goat farmers in
our area to find out what we were getting into. We
thought we were well prepared before going into the
goat business. Then we discovered there were a lot
of things no one bothered to mention to us. For example,
no one told us about mastitis
or bottle feeding.
Nor were we told anything at all about wormers
and worming. But the absolute worse thing we weren’t
told about – well, hoof trimming is up pretty
high on the scale – is tattooing. To us that
is the messiest, most disagreeable chore of all.
|
Not that it’s a
hard job. It was much more difficult before we got
the grooming stand – when one of us had to physically
hold the baby goat while the other tortured it. Still
this is one of those necessary evils we’re always
so relieved when we’re done. |
Indeed, when we got our
first goats, we had no idea such a thing as an ear
tattoo was needed or necessary. That is until we bought
our first goat that was subject to registration. Then
the Government came out with their Scrapie rules and
regulations. |
There are several theories
of when the best time to tattoo is – and we’ve
probably tired them all. Some people don’t tattoo
until they sell the goat and it is getting ready to
leave the place; that way if they decide not to sell
the goat as a registered animal, there are no hard
feelings down the line when someone else buys the
goat and wants registration information based on the
herd prefix and number. Some people don’t tattoo
until they get their registration papers back from
the Association; if the Association makes a mistake
in the tattoo (or if they put down the wrong numbers
on the application), the problem is easily corrected
– just tattoo what the papers say. (Of course,
when you submit your application you are affirming
all information on the application is correct. If
you have not tattooed but put down numbers, you are,
in effect, lying.) Some tattoo babies when they are
a few days old, but we feel they are already under
enough stress just trying to stay alive. We have found
what works best for us is to tattoo when the mood
strikes us but before a goat is sold. |
Unfortunately, this was
the weekend we were in the mood to tattoo (or felt
guilty because we had not already tattooed our spring
babies and it’s already August). |
The first step in the
tattoo process is catching the kid. When each of our
kids is born, we enter all pertinent data into the
computer. We ear tag immediately after birth, so it’s
a simple process of associating the data with the
ear tag (assuming, of course, the kid hasn’t
already figured out a way to remove the tag). So,
once the kid is caught, we verify what letter/number
sequence goes in the left ear. The right ear is easy;
it’s our herd prefix. |
We quickly learned we
needed two tattoo kits – one that only holds
our herd prefix and the other to change with each
goat.
|
The Associations determine
the letter based on the year of the kid’s birth.
I.e., the letter “R” was for 2003 while
the letter “S” is for 2004 kids, the letter
“T” is for 2005, the letter "V"
for 2006 and the letter "W" will identify
kids born during 2007. The next step is to
place the letters/numbers into the tattoo implement.
The year letter is inserted in the implement followed
by numbers. We number our kids in the order they were
born. Thus, the first kid born in 2004 was S1. Once
the letter and numbers are in place it is time to
start.
NOTE: This is for Boer
goats; dairy goats have different letters.
|
|
Once the goat is caught
and the proper id is determined, we cleanse the ear.
Some have recommended using 409. We have found the
alcohol wipes work beautifully. |
After the ear is clean, we apply the ink to
each of the letters in the implement. Tattoo ink comes
in a variety of containers; we have found the green
roll-on works great. (We have also used the black
paste. It works, but we ended up with more black on
us than the goat.) I make sure that each of the prongs
on the letters has a good dose of tattoo ink on it.
We use a tooth brush for this.
We used to apply the ink directly on the ear; but
after observing the individual prong inking method,
we decided this was better.
|
It is now time to torture the goats. At least
the poor kid is convinced we’re trying to kill
it. The tattoo implement is situated over the just-applied
ink, and gentle pressure imprints tiny holes in the
goat’s ear. Too much pressure (or really thin
ears) tend to bleed compounding the mess.
|
| |
|
Applying
baking soda to the tattoo |
As soon as the ear has been tattooed, baking
soda is rubbed into all the holes. The baking soda
tends to make the tattoo stand out – making
readability easier over time. The baking soda also
helps to stop any bleeding. |
While we have the kids
on the grooming stand, we give them a visual physical.
We check their teats and record our findings. We also
check eye-lids and gums to make sure they don’t
have a parasite overload. We also check feet and trim
as needed. We normally do this before we tattoo. The
kids are not interesting in being good after they
are tattooed in the second ear. |
In two or three days,
all the green has worn off our fingers. |
|
|
|
|
If you liked this
article please let us know by signing our guestbook.
|
