While on marking animals, anyone heard of freeze branding? Its basicly the same as hot branding, same steel punch can be used, only difference is istead of heating it red hot its dipped in liquid nitrogen to cool it extremely. Once pushed on the fur/skin, the hair folicles freeze but do not dye! They get damaged to a point they can still grow hair, but without pigment. This way instead of a scar you get a line of white fur.
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Yes Kristijan, it has been employed here for a long time. Most cattle here aren’t branded though.
It is said to be the better practice, less trauma and risk of infection to the animal, the extreme cold will not hurt initially.
I have no direct experience with the process, but as I understand it causes tissue damage similar to a hot branding.
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I figure ear tags are just jewelry for cows… I mean woman love earrings why shouldn’t the cows like theirs???
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Hello Kristijan.
Years ago while in the dog training business I freeze brand some of the dogs that were very high value.
This was before the age of microchips.
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what happens if you have a white cow?
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Ha, good question 
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As long as it is only one your all set she will stand out in any crowd. My one white cow is always easy to spot…
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Sometimes we buy half a raindeer from the Laplanders. Since raindeer wander freely there’s no way authorities kan keep track of them. However Laplanders do collect their calfs once a year to mark them with a small cut in the ear. Nothing to do with authorities, just to be able to separate them from other animals at slaughter. Every family makes different cuts.
No point asking the number of raindeer a Laplander owns. It’s a secret. He might answer 200, with a smile. The truth could be ten times that number
On another note. We had a west coast nuclear reactor shutting down the other day. The Nordic sea water temp was not cold enough to provide sufficient cooling. Who would have thought that would be a problem up here.
Well, this summer’s heatwave seems to be over with by now. Today is a normal 70F. Life goes on.
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I told my wife they look tasty last month at the ZOO, l just got “the look” back looks like its true
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We used to tattoo our goats and rabbits on the ear. It was handy to have and not much trouble.
Bruce S. , Some of us are getting all our stuff ready to go to D R Congo in a few weeks. I was wondering if the Ebola outbreak is going to hinder your trip to Rwanda. It seems to be located in the DRC next to the Rwanda border. If you get in there and they decide to lock it down, they won’t let you out. Ithink we are going to try to enter through northern Zambia
and walk into Congo. Just curious if it is affecting you.
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Billy alot of the animals which are sold across state lines require permit markings I think in the form of tattoos now. I don’t know if the metal ear tags still count or not for that. I have avoided the issue by buying my stock in state.
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We are having problems with DRC govt at the moment. They seem to go through these spurts of not liking americans. They are getting ready for elections for president, ones in power are mad at Trump at the moment cause Trump backs the popular guy running against them…etc…etc…same old stuff. SO they making us jump through hoops. Not sure if we will get visa by scheduled time. We’ll see how it goes.
Just got home from Mobile, AL getting yellow fever updated. Me and one other cost $650. There is bad shortage of American-made yellow fever vaccine. Had to be part of drug trial for French version to even get one…
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That’s crazy about the vaccine.
Years ago when I got it, it was feee through our public health office.
Pretty common story that big pharma is abandoning a proven med.
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a moment of peace in mind…
snack time…
and teaching High 5
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Another way to “relax”
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Kristijan, that pig of yours looks like it could have been me during this hot summer
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Reminds me of the saying that says “arguing with an inspector is like wrestling with a pig in the mud; you quickly learn that the pig enjoys it”.
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Not too much new with me. I have to sell my property in Myrtle Point, Oregon. It is 3 miles outside of town. I thought that 3 miles was far enough. Guess not. The tweakers know that I’m not there all the time. They just keep breaking in and stealing. I have a guy living there to take care of the place but, he is out working all over the county. Evidently, “they” know his truck. 10:30 in the morning, a guy backs in his truck and trailer to throw off tons of trash. In plain daylight. I stepped out and he stopped, and pulled out. I spend a lot of money on dump fees to haul away what everybody dumps. I’ve listed the place and, I’m looking for a place that is very remote.
I really liked that property because of the river AND, a great spring that gives me 7,000 gallons of very pure water every day. It’s up on a hill so, I don’t even need a pump. Too bad.
In other news, I bought another truck. I’m not trying to operate a truck-rescue business but, I just couldn’t pass this one by.
It is a 1955 Ford F-900 Marmon Herrington 4 w.d. dump truck. They are quite rare and valuable. The engine is tired so, I brought it down from oregon to rebuild it. It’s very rare to see a truck as big as a F-900 that is 4 w.d.
I was going to add a couple of pics but, I don’t see an icon.
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