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Post by rilie1 on May 23, 2016 15:10:45 GMT -6
So, just got a notification from USDA in my email that RFID microchips are now acceptable without a waiver for all regulated animals in lieu of tattoo's or ear tags. My question is does anyone know if any of the registries, especially Legacy, thought about accepting Microchip numbers? Chips have been used in registered horses for years now and some beef cattle registries are using them for breeding stock.
Injecting the microchip is pretty easy and you can do it yourself. The cost is minimal, a pack of 5 chips with injectors is around $40-50. And a reader/scanner is $80-125. Depending on the company you buy from your ID numbers are stored and tracked in their database along with the particulars for your animal.
Just a thought it seems a lot easier and I think this might be one more area where Legacy could break new ground for the Dexter community.
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Post by jamshundred on May 23, 2016 21:52:29 GMT -6
Rilie,
Legacy has never required a tattoo feeling the most reliable ID was the DNA genotype, and so many breeders just pretended to tatto anyway, and if they did tattoo, after a few years most od the tattoos are impossible to deciper. Having said that, Legacy WILL record whatever alternative ID a breeder chooses to use. Helen Dixon in Virginia used microchips on some of her exotics, but I do not know that she used them with her cattle. I have heard the chips can migrate beyond the insertion site.
Judy
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Post by dexterfarm on May 24, 2016 7:36:27 GMT -6
We quit doing tattoo. They are worthless. I think I may have one animal that the tatto can still be read on and even at that it is fadded. the rfid ear tags are no good ether had several of those put on for out of state transport and many of them are now gone. At this point we just use the small pre printed ear tags and we dont record the number in the registry. If there is ever a question of identity tail hairs can be pulled and sent in for comparison. For us the calves are the only ones that could get easily mixed up as they change so fast. We ear tag the day they are born and pull hairs at the same time. Most of ours keep their ear tag for at least a year and some do keep them many years. If you use the chips let us know how they work out for you.
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Post by genebo on May 24, 2016 9:41:37 GMT -6
I did my first tattoos, and they were so poor you could hardly read them.
But then, I asked my vet to tattoo the next calf. It was such a beautiful job. I got him to show me how to do one the way he did, and was able to duplicate his result. Since then, I get the vet to do them whenever possible. I do a few myself, and I got Chad Williams to do some for me.
My adult Dexters have nice, readable tattoos. I'd love to hear from those who have Dexters that were tattooed here, to see how they fared over time. If they are still readable, I'll continue tattooing. If not, I'll search for a new way.
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