# hot branding



## JK-Farms (Feb 17, 2009)

anyone hot brand goats, or know anyone that does, we do our cattle, never done a goat, but since me and my dad run are herds together, i need a better was of know whats mine and tags cost to much. i have herd of people doing it, but want to know if it turns out like a cattle brand


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I think that is an awful thought. I have had cattle, and I've branded cattle. I would NEVER do that to a goat.

Registered goats are ear tattooed.


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Goat hides are not tough like cattle.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I have never heard of branding any kind of goat, ever. Goats are ear tattooed, or tail tattoed. I wouldn't ear tag OR brand any goat, ever. Ear tags get ripped out often - it's just the nature of goats. As for branding, you'd have to use the super huge cattle letters - that much burning on a cow likely won't cause problems, but branding that big of an area on a goat would be extremely painful. I also doubt that it would work as well because I believe goats are fuzzier and the brand would be marred by hair round the burn, leaving it unreadable without catching them in the colder months.

ETA: I also believe goat hides are not going to hold up well to a brand. Just not tough/thick enough. My guess would be a lot of open wounds, bleeding, damage, and likely infections/deaths.


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## JK-Farms (Feb 17, 2009)

mygoat said:


> ETA: I also believe goat hides are not going to hold up well to a brand. Just not tough/thick enough. My guess would be a lot of open wounds, bleeding, damage, and likely infections/deaths.


Thats what i was thinkin about, but i have heard off people doing it, just never seen how it would turn out. just an idea but did not think it would work to good as well, just go with ear notching

http://www.agribusinessweek.com/raising-goatspart-3/

Scroll down to "Identifying your herd."
(Just so yall dont think im crazy...)

I have also seen hotbranding on the horns.


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## Slugmar (May 26, 2008)

Personal opion I would not hot brand, freeze brand or paint brand the goats. Personaly I use small plastic tags on site with the my goats, I just started using them so I have no good or bad opion on them but the more I look at them I think they will get ripped or cause ear damage if the goats stick there head through the fence, Though Im getting ready to replace all my fencing with the small fencing for the goats wont be ableto stick there heads into there. This could also be how the tags where placed I just followed the others that I have purchased and how the previous owners had did them.

I pulled acouple links for you one is the texas brand laws and the other is a link to indefecation recuirements for goats and sheep in texas basically scrappie tags. The scrapie tags are provided for free as is the plires with the first shipment, that is what the articale says.

http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/animal_health/scrapie/scrapie_tag_req.pdf
http://www.ranchirons.com/brand_laws_texas.htm


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## JK-Farms (Feb 17, 2009)

ya scrappie tags are free, but i only put them on sale animals. and they are kinda big an get pulled out really easy.


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## KimM (Jun 17, 2005)

You'll have just as many open wounds and chance of infection with ear-notching. Tattooing is not difficult or expensive.




JK-Farms said:


> Thats what i was thinkin about, but i have heard off people doing it, just never seen how it would turn out. just an idea but did not think it would work to good as well, just go with ear notching
> 
> http://www.agribusinessweek.com/raising-goatspart-3/
> 
> ...


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I doubt you get too many infections with ear notching - probably much less than ear tagging because there would be no extra weight or snag. It's a small, clean wound that heals fast, and is in a very clean and 'safe' location on the goat. It's a LOT smaller of an area and it can simply be sprayed down with alu-shield or the like and stay very clean because of it's location on the animal. It would be an instant, but very simple, identification visible from afar. For further individual identification, you could also tattoo their ears and that way you can tell at a glance which goats belong to who, and then each owner can distinguish between individuals via the tattoos.

I have a doe that was 'accidentally' ear notched before I bought her - she caught her ear on some loose siding on her barn, and tore part of her ear off. Neither I nor the previous owner sprayed anything on it. It healed great and extremely fast. Another goat I have was TB tagged when I got her. It was all crusty and gross, so I simply removed it when she got home. It healed very fast after the tag was removed - once again no additional sprays or applications necessary.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

I'd go with the ear tattoo. It's very fast, the kit is inexpensive, and it's a darned sight less painful than branding. I agree that a goat's hide is far too delicate to brand - and 'sides that, I'm feeling guilty for disbudding today. 

If you're close enough, I'll loan you my tattoo kit.


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## SilverFlame819 (Aug 24, 2010)

If you're going for something you can see from a distance, but don't care if it's permanent, you could do the paint branding that they do on large flocks of sheep... Then every 6 months or so when you vaccinate, just re-do them... 

Then again, color-coding them by spray-painting them would probably work just as well if you're not raising angora or cashmere...

For permanent, why not freeze brand the ears like hunters do with their hounds? That is - if you're breeding something with colored ears, or, for that matter... a breed of goat WITH ears.  On floppy Nubian or Boer ears you'd be able to see the mark easily and from a distance...

Then again... I've never done either with a goat so couldn't vouch for either method when applied to one!


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