What do different cattle brands mean?
Brands are read from left to right, from the top down or from the outside to the inside. If a letter or symbol is made backwards from its normal position, it’s read as a reverse. A letter partially over on its face or back is said to be tumbling. If a letter lies horizontally on its face or back, it is called lazy.
How do you read cattle brands?
A brand is filed based upon its first letter or character. Brands are read from left to right, top to bottom, or outside to inside. Brands that contain letters, numbers or characters having rafters, quarter circles, or bars above or below are listed under the letter, number or character category.
How would you describe a livestock brand?
At its most basic, a cattle brand is composed of a few simple letters and numbers, possibly in combination with a basic shape or symbols like a line, circle, heart, arc, or diamond.
How do you read a horse brand?
How to Read Brand Symbols
- Read top-to-bottom, then left-to-right.
- Modify based on individual characters. A letter or number on its side is called “lazy.” A character upside down is called “crazy.” A character with small curves on the ends is called “running.”
- Modify based on other symbols.
Is branding illegal?
Branding involves burning the skin with hot or cold instruments to produce a permanent design. While the visual results may be comparable to a tattoo, the process of actually producing a brand is quite different – which makes it a legal grey area.
What is the purpose of tagging livestock?
Ear tags provide a visual aid for unique identification (such as a flock or premise number) and can help to identify sex, year of birth, sire, dam and much more. If you use tags in your breeding flock, it’s wise to install a tag in both ears when they are baby lambs.
What does a brand on a horse mean?
Brands are a commonly used means to identify individual horses as an aid in farm management and as a theft deterrent. Freeze branding, also called cryogenic branding, uses extreme cold to alter the growth of the hair in the brand contact area.
Can horse branding be removed?
Brands cannot be removed because they permanently alter the horse’s hair or skin. With some farms having hundreds of horses on their property, branding is a way of displaying a permanent proof of ownership. Horse branding also helps ranch owners establish reputable horse lines that are easy to recognize.