Short communication: Long-term survival of flag eartags on an Israeli dairy farm.
Two-plated self-piercing eartags were first developed in the 19th century, but information on their retention rates is scarce. A method is presented that facilitates estimation of eartag retention rate by using a random sample of cows that initially had 2 tags (1 on each ear) placed for identification and at least 1 of which survived. Striving to adopt the European Union standard for cattle ear tagging, the Israeli veterinary service conducted a field test to evaluate the performance of plastic eartags under the conditions of a typical Israeli dairy farm. The initial sample (n=900 cows) was tagged on a single farm. Retention rates were estimated based on the ratio between the observed numbers of cows with 1 or 2 eartags in the surviving group (n=97 cows). Based on this long-term (>3 yr) field test, the highest yearly retention of flag eartags (0.89±0.03) was lower than expected (0.98). Tag design and on-farm management were key factors affecting tag retention. A better design of the feedline yoke system in the feeding area, avoiding slits that can entangle the eartags, would help increase tag retention.
Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Animal Science, Bet-Dagan 50250, Israel. seroussi@agri.huji.ac.il
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E
Seroussi
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E
Yakobson
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S
Garazi
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Z
Oved
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Halachmi
D000823:Animal Identification Systems / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003612:Dairying / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female