Goats are a wonderful addition to any homestead, but if you have quite a few, you might need to consider marking them at some point.
Usually, small homesteads who raise a handful of goats merely for pleasure and can recognize all their goats according to their markings won’t need to rely on marking to identify their goats. But if you’d like to breed, sell, and/or register your goats, you will need a system for keeping track of them.
The most common methods of marking goats are either tattooing or ear tagging.
Tattooing is the only permanent method and may be required to register your goats with any official association. Some people tattoo their kids as soon as they have been weaned, but others don’t feel comfortable subjecting such a young kid to the trauma of a tattoo. In this case, ear tagging is a good stand in, although you can also use a simple color coding system using an aerosol marker on the kid’s back. Then, when they are older, they can receive their tattoos or ear tags.
Tatooing tools are available at most veterinary or farm supply stores. The tools normally consist of a set of interchangeable numbers, made up of small needles, affixed to the metal base of a pair of jaws. It is recommended to test each number before beginning the tattooing process. You will also want to make sure you have all the necessary measures for sanitation before beginning; you can check with the store you’ve bought the kit from and refer to the manufacturer’s instructions to determine what you need.
Ear tags are your other option, and while goats are notorious for finding ways to loosen theirs, they are still a preferable option for many. One reason for this is they can be color-coded, so you can easily identify your goats based on breed, year born, gender, etc. You can buy the equipment to apply these from veterinary or farm supply stores as well.
Tattooing and ear tagging are much safer options that collars or leg bands. Goats are very active animals and they could easily become tangled and injured or even killed with one of these.
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