Probably the most important reason that we use ear tags is for identification purposes. Each calf when it is born receives 2 ear tags.
One is a CCIA ear tag this tag looks like a little button and can be scanned throughout the calf's life to keep track of where it has been. We have to buy these tags from a specialized dealer, and we register these tags to our farm, then when a calf is born one of these CCIA tags is put into their ear, and is then recorded into the CCIA website.
The second tag that we use is the more common type of ear tag you see in most livestock. We generally use yellow or green tags because we find them easier to read out in the field. On these tags we record the calf number that we give them, and also their mothers number. This helps us to be able to quickly identify the calf's mother if they are to get separated for some reason. Sometimes we will even record the Bull number or name on the tag.
I have had lots of people ask me: Do ear tags hurt the calves? We say that it is like getting an ear piercing. It hurts for a minute or two, and might be a little painful for the day, but it doesn't seem to bother them much.
We use numbers and letters for our personal tags. The number corrosponds with the order in which the calf was born, and the letter corrosponds with the year in calving books. For example the tag below on the calf is 135G - that means that this calf was the 135 calf born that year and the year was 2020
Ear Tags Are IMportant for a variety of
Different reasons
Why do you use ear tags?
Here are some common ranching questions we often get asked
Ranching QUestions
We brand for a couple of different reasons. The first reason is for identification purposes. Our brand is DY quarter circle on the right rib.
This brand is the only permanent for of identification we can place on our cattle that is not easily altered. Ear tags can fall out, and ear tattoos can be altered. Cattle rustling, or theft also still happens today. Without the proper documentation that proves the animal and brand are theirs, they are unable to sell the animal. When we deliver to an auction mart, or any other location we need to have a manifest filled out, and proof of ownership.
At our branding we also vaccinate our calves and cows. We usually do the cows in the morning before the branding begins, and then vaccinate our calves during the branding.
For more information on our vaccinations you can go to our Vaccinations Section
Also at branding time is when we castrate any of our male calves. Because we raise our cows for meat, it is important to castrate the males. When they are left intact it can lead to tainted and bad meat. We have a few people who do an exceptional job, and make it as painless as possible.
*We do provide all our calves with pain medication to help with any discomfort they may experience, and we ride among the cows for a few days after to make sure they have all recovered and there are no infections.
What is the reason for using a brand?
Why do you Brand your calves?
Watch this branding video
We brand for a couple of different reasons. The first reason is for identification purposes. Our brand is DY quarter circle on the right rib.
This brand is the only permanent for of identification we can place on our cattle that is not easily altered. Ear tags can fall out, and ear tattoos can be altered. Cattle rustling, or theft also still happens today. Without the proper documentation that proves the animal and brand are theirs, they are unable to sell the animal. When we deliver to an auction mart, or any other location we need to have a manifest filled out, and proof of ownership.
At our branding we also vaccinate our calves and cows. We usually do the cows in the morning before the branding begins, and then vaccinate our calves during the branding.
For more information on our vaccinations you can go to our Vaccinations Section
Also at branding time is when we castrate any of our male calves. Because we raise our cows for meat, it is important to castrate the males. When they are left intact it can lead to tainted and bad meat. We have a few people who do an exceptional job, and make it as painless as possible.
*We do provide all our calves with pain medication to help with any discomfort they may experience, and we ride among the cows for a few days after to make sure they have all recovered and there are no infections.
Watch this branding video
Why do you Brand your calves?
We believe that by vaccinating our animals we are able to prevent wide spread disease in our herd, and other herds our cows may come in contact with.
Much like having your child vaccinated, or getting the flu shot, it helps to keep them healthy as well as any animals which might be more susceptible or had a weaker immune system from getting sick.
With Vaccinations there is a withdrawl period like there is for antibiotics. This means that there are strict guidelines as to when an animal may be harvested for meat after a vaccination. Each vaccination has different withdrawl dates which must be met. We keep careful records on our animals, and any animal which has been treated is recorded and will not be harvested until it has been met to withdrawl date.
WHy Vaccinate?
Why do you vaccinate your cows?
We believe that by vaccinating our animals we are able to prevent wide spread disease in our herd, and other herds our cows may come in contact with.
Much like having your child vaccinated, or getting the flu shot, it helps to keep them healthy as well as any animals which might be more susceptible or had a weaker immune system from getting sick.
With Vaccinations there is a withdrawl period like there is for antibiotics. This means that there are strict guidelines as to when an animal may be harvested for meat after a vaccination. Each vaccination has different withdrawl dates which must be met. We keep careful records on our animals, and any animal which has been treated is recorded and will not be harvested until it has been met to withdrawl date.
Why do you vaccinate your cows?
Let me start off by saying: ALL Beef in Canada is Antibiotic Free. Canada has very strict guidelines about the antibiotic use in animals. Therefore, if an animal needs to be treated with an antibiotic that animal must go through a "Withdrawl Period" before it is able to enter into the food system. The withdrawl period is calculated by testing animals which have been given antibiotics. They test the same animal until it has been deemed safe. This determines the guidelines for how many days we must wait before any of our animals which have been treated are able to be slaughtered.
Here at Dykshoorn Farms, we believe it is more humane to treat a sick animal with antibiotics than letting it suffer or die. We follow our veterinarians advice and information on dosage and location site for any animal we treat. We also keep very detailed records of all our animals. If one of our cows has been treated we know the exact date it will have met the required withdrawl period, and it will not be harvested until that date has been met. With all that being said we have very few animals that will need to be treated with antibiotics, and we will NEVER use antibiotics to promote growth.
Most of our cows will never be treated with antibiotics. We believe this is because our herd has good genetics, we monitor our cows very carefully, and we raise them on pasture.
Want to learn more about Withdrawl Dates? Check out some of the links below.
Beef Magazine - A Guide to Understanding Animal Drug Withdrawl Times
My Fearless Kitchen - What is the Withdrawl Period for Antibiotics, and why does it matter?
Our take on antibiotic use in our cows
Do you use antibiotics?
Let me start off by saying: ALL Beef in Canada is Antibiotic Free. Canada has very strict guidelines about the antibiotic use in animals. Therefore, if an animal needs to be treated with an antibiotic that animal must go through a "Withdrawl Period" before it is able to enter into the food system. The withdrawl period is calculated by testing animals which have been given antibiotics. They test the same animal until it has been deemed safe. This determines the guidelines for how many days we must wait before any of our animals which have been treated are able to be slaughtered.
Here at Dykshoorn Farms, we believe it is more humane to treat a sick animal with antibiotics than letting it suffer or die. We follow our veterinarians advice and information on dosage and location site for any animal we treat. We also keep very detailed records of all our animals. If one of our cows has been treated we know the exact date it will have met the required withdrawl period, and it will not be harvested until that date has been met. With all that being said we have very few animals that will need to be treated with antibiotics, and we will NEVER use antibiotics to promote growth.
Most of our cows will never be treated with antibiotics. We believe this is because our herd has good genetics, we monitor our cows very carefully, and we raise them on pasture.
Want to learn more about Withdrawl Dates? Check out some of the links below.
Beef Magazine - A Guide to Understanding Animal Drug Withdrawl Times
My Fearless Kitchen - What is the Withdrawl Period for Antibiotics, and why does it matter?
Do you use antibiotics?
We finish our beef on rolled barley simply because we like the taste of it. We have tasted many different kinds of beef finished many different ways, and we always come back to grain finished beef. There is nothing wrong with any of the other ways, this is just what we prefer. We LOVE the taste of grain finished beef and find it has a melt in our mouth buttery flavor and the texture and marbling can't be beat.
When we finish our beef we make sure to take our time and do things slowly. We feel that the finishing phase is the most important part when it comes to the flavor of our meat, and so we make sure to do it right, and not rush the process. When an animal get to the right age where they can be switched over in to the finishing phase we start them on a very small barley ration, and even when we are finishing our beef they have access to grass, hay, haylage or silage at all times. As the animals get bigger the ration of barley slowly increases until they are ready to be harvested.
This is why we do not have bulk beef available at all times. We do not always have an animal that is ready to be harvested, and we refuse to rush the process and sell a product that we are not proud of.
grass, grain or corn? Here is our take...
why do we grain finish our beef?
We finish our beef on rolled barley simply because we like the taste of it. We have tasted many different kinds of beef finished many different ways, and we always come back to grain finished beef. There is nothing wrong with any of the other ways, this is just what we prefer. We LOVE the taste of grain finished beef and find it has a melt in our mouth buttery flavor and the texture and marbling can't be beat.
When we finish our beef we make sure to take our time and do things slowly. We feel that the finishing phase is the most important part when it comes to the flavor of our meat, and so we make sure to do it right, and not rush the process. When an animal get to the right age where they can be switched over in to the finishing phase we start them on a very small barley ration, and even when we are finishing our beef they have access to grass, hay, haylage or silage at all times. As the animals get bigger the ration of barley slowly increases until they are ready to be harvested.
This is why we do not have bulk beef available at all times. We do not always have an animal that is ready to be harvested, and we refuse to rush the process and sell a product that we are not proud of.
grass, grain or corn? Here is our take...
why do we grain finish our beef?
Rotational Grazing is a type or grazing where the cows, or other livestock are moved frequently in smaller paddocks to allow for the grass to recover and not become overgrazed. It also allows the manure from the livestock to fertilize the ground, and the trampling of the grass to provide a living mulch on the ground.
We realize how important our pastures are to our livelihood, but also to the generations to come. By keeping our ground in good condition, and not overgrazing and overstocking our land we are able to make sure that the land will be in good if not great condition for many generations to come.
Without our grass and the proper management of it, we would be unable to run as many cows as we can, and we would have little nutrients left in the soil.
We love having cows, and to see them out in the pasture grazing, and knowing that they are helping to improve the soil is a HUGE win in our books.
What is all the hype of rotational grazing for?
What is Rotational Grazing?
Rotational Grazing is a type or grazing where the cows, or other livestock are moved frequently in smaller paddocks to allow for the grass to recover and not become overgrazed. It also allows the manure from the livestock to fertilize the ground, and the trampling of the grass to provide a living mulch on the ground.
We realize how important our pastures are to our livelihood, but also to the generations to come. By keeping our ground in good condition, and not overgrazing and overstocking our land we are able to make sure that the land will be in good if not great condition for many generations to come.
Without our grass and the proper management of it, we would be unable to run as many cows as we can, and we would have little nutrients left in the soil.
We love having cows, and to see them out in the pasture grazing, and knowing that they are helping to improve the soil is a HUGE win in our books.