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Branding was used a long time ago with the Spanish livestock and was originally used for identification of the animal. Now it is being used for watching the performance and production of the animals and keeping them from getting stolen.
Well, is branding necessary? No, it is not necessary, but strongly suggested. The reason is because it is the only way to tell wether or not the animal is yours legally. An un-branded animal is called a "slick." With a "slick" animal, anyone can steal it and claim that it is theirs and no legal action can be taken to prove that the animal is yours.
There are plenty of branding ways to choose from. There is hot iron, freeze iron, tattooing, and ear tags. Hot iron can be painful for the animal and is permanent. The hot iron is made of metal, heated and suck to the animals skin to burn the brand to them. Freeze iron is less painful and just like hot iron it is permanent. Also like hot iron, the freeze iron rod is made up of metal and suck to the animal to leave to brand. But unlike the hot iron, freeze iron freezes the metal and leaves a white mark on the animal. Tattooing is another way to permanently brand your animal. Unlike the irons, tattooing uses needles. The needles are inserted into the animal and an ink is injected to the needle holes. As the wounds heal, the skin will grow over the ink, trapping it in. Ear tags are a non-permanent way to brand your animal. The only reason why it is not permanent is because the tags can be knocked out of the cattle’s ears.
Is branding necessary? No, but it is strongly recommended for cattle and even horses. It is a great way to make sure you livestock don’t get lost or stolen.
Raine, Lee. "Livestock Brands," Cowboyshowcase.com. Accessed May 11, 2010 at <www.cowboyshowcase.com/brands.html>
Ebert, Bob." Identification of Animals." Accessed May 11, 2010 at <www.aces.edu/pubs/Y/YANR-0170/>
Webster, Henry W. "Beef Cattle Identification," Clemson Extension. Accessed May 11, 2010 at
By: Cassie Griffith
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