Food must be produced in sufficient quantities to feed a population that is growing swiftly. Adopting an effective management strategy is essential due to the vast scope of activities that go into running a cattle farm. Utilizing livestock identification is one technique to improve farm management. Cattle identification allows farmers to identify and keep track of each animal in the herd using ear tags. RFID (radio-frequency identification) and electronic ID (EID) cattle tags have fundamentally altered the manner that cattle are identified. These EID tags are so small that they may be placed within the animal’s ear and are designed to last the full life of the animal.
Electronic Identification (EID), which utilizes a microchip or electronic transponder put in a tag, can be used to identify farm animals. Animal EID is based on low-frequency radio waves or radio frequency identification (RFID). The microchip receives a radio signal that the reader emits. The unique identifying number is given back by the chip. The reader transfers a unique number to the computer, which is used to store any pertinent information about the animal being identified.
What is the Point of Using Electronic Identification (EID)?
Electronic (EID) tags allow for the more effective management of an animal’s specific performance. It is possible to track an animal’s weight history over time, identify strong and weak performers, and control resource consumption to maximize profits. Good EID scanners immediately give information about your livestock by reading the electronic ear tags on cattle that are on a weigh platform or traveling through a race. The specific animal data gathered against EID tags can affect your choices about animal health, mating, and culling. Every good EID reader is strong, durable, and 100 percent water and dust-proof. appropriate for use with cattle, sheep, pigs, and deer. The use of EID technologies can greatly enhance agricultural management practices.
Benefits of Using Electronic Identification (EID)
- Data collection is made simpler, quicker, and more accurate because there is less paperwork and transcribed material required.
- Handling may be done more swiftly and safely because there is no requirement for direct animal contact.
- Direct transmission to the PC reduces the need for data transcription.
- PC-based management software, which offers management information on which performance-related decisions can be made, enables effective data analysis.
- Performance is improved via improved information flow, which enables quicker and more accurate decision-making.
The Importance of Using RFID Reader Integration/ EID Tag Readers
The importance of integrating RFID and EID tag readers into modern animal production cannot be overstated. RFID and EID tag data is collected by tag readers, who subsequently send it to the farm’s centralized system. This technique is not only quicker and less expensive than manually acquiring and recording information, but also more accurate because of its smaller margin of error.
EID tag scanners also make it possible for data to be promptly transmitted to the farm’s software. These real-time updates are a great way to make sure farm managers are informed and, as a result, capable of making the best decisions in the least amount of time.
Using EID tags to track each animal on the farm is a safer alternative to personally checking on each one. This is due to the fact that EID chips can be placed in an animal’s ear and frequently stay there for the duration of the animal’s life, in contrast to paper or plastic tags that may break off. This suggests that data on animals is always accessible and that its security is also guaranteed.
EID tag readers are also necessary because of how easily and conveniently they may be used. Because animal data may be retrieved with only a quick scan, professionals working on farms do not need to always carry technology or paper records with them.
EID tag readers ensure total animal tracking on the farm. In addition to being reliable, this type of surveillance helps to contain outbreaks of diseases that harm cattle. As previously mentioned, any unhealthy animal may be instantly identified, discovered, and quarantined.
Effective cattle management requires the integration of RFID and EID tag readers.
The Process of Tagging Your Cattle
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Limiting and Catching Movement
It is necessary to catch the animal and hold it from excessive head movement before attaching an ear tag to it. In this manner, the tag position will be precise. You must have noticed that a mother’s natural impulse is to defend her newborn calves. It can turn dangerous, though, if someone is responsible for making sure the calf is receiving all the care it needs. The calf cage has a significant impact on this situation. A calf can be captured and cared for with this device. Additionally, there won’t be any chance of someone getting hurt when using this instrument. With the aid of this instrument, one person may securely tag a calf without the assistance of any other person.
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Importance of Using Ear Tag Color
The primary goal of utilizing animal ear tags is to make it simple to identify animals. However, the color of the ear tags is also quite important. The significance of the ear tag is equally vital as its color. Each farm uses a distinct technique for using technology to identify its cows. To represent a variety of meanings, several combinations can be used. It is up to you which ear tag and color you select if you are a producer.
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The Benefit of Having an Identification Number
Each animal has a distinct number that producers assign it in addition to the color of the ear tag. In addition to the number that you might be able to observe, ear tags allow you to write the date of birth, sire, and damn. Numbers are assigned to the ear tags so that data can be recorded for various circumstances. The tags on older cows can be used to identify the calving date, the location of the paster, the approximate history of calving, the breeding date, the medical history, and health records.
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Placing of Ear Tags
When a cow or calf is selected, the identifying number and color are given. Location is important because if a tag is placed incorrectly, it could cause problems. The ideal location for an ear tag is in the middle third of the ear. It must be positioned between the ridges of the auricle or between the ribs. If the electronic ear tags are put too deeply into the ear, where the cartilage is thicker, it will fit snugly. This may cause tissue sloughing, which is the loss of dead tissue cells, or tissue necrosis, which is the death of tissue cells. Tags that are too far away run the risk of getting caught or torn off. The positioning of tags is essential to reducing the chances of infection.
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Plastic Tags
Always select the tag type that is most appropriate for your cattle. Simple plastic tags are the most widely used and cost-effective kind of identification among small-lot farmers. A sizable flat display panel bearing a specific ID number is present on them.
Make sure to clean the applicator to reduce the chance of infection. To protect the welfare of your animals, you must thoroughly sanitize everything that comes in contact with the cow’s ear. Before and after usage, make sure to properly clean the applicator. After each tagging session, clean and disinfect the applicator to prolong its life and safeguard your cows from infection.
