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Agriculture for Secondary Schools

Identification
Animal identification is done to help track each animal for breeding, health, and
marketing purposes. Common identification methods include ear tagging, ear
notching, and branding. Ear tagging involves attaching a tag with a number or code
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to the animal’s ear. Some tags are electronic and can be scanned. Ear notching is
done by cutting small notches on the edges of the ear in a set pattern to represent
numbers. Both methods are simple and useful, especially when animals are young.
For all identification methods, the mark or tag must be clear, durable, and placed
in the correct position.

Cattle identification by branding includes hot-iron branding and freeze branding.
Hot-iron branding involves placing a heated metal object onto the skin of an animal
to leave a permanent mark. This method is mostly used on ruminant animals like
cattle. The branding should be done on parts of the body where it will not reduce
the value of the hide or skin (refer to Figure 10.10). Hot-iron branding produces
clear, permanent marks. However, if not done correctly, it can cause injuries and
pain to the animal.

Figure 10.10: Proper parts for hot-iron branding on cattle

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