Handled and recorded differently, each farm species carries the identifier that fits it. A horse's identity rests on the microchip linked to its passport; cattle records hang on ear tags tied to their passport entries. Sheep and goats wear ear tags, pigs are marked with a slap mark or a tag in the ear, and registered poultry may carry leg rings, mainly where birds are shown. Whatever the species, keep one shared photo-and-records file per animal, with clear photographs, markings, identification numbers and key dates kept together. Update that file whenever an animal arrives, leaves or changes, so the record on paper always matches the animal in front of you.
The Basics First
Each system fails in its own way, and routine handling is when you catch the failure early. A horse's chip should be scanned whenever the vet visits, because chips can migrate and a chip nobody can find identifies nothing. Ear tags on cattle, sheep and goats tear out on fencing and feeders, so read both ears at every handling and replace a missing tag promptly, recording the new number the same day. A pig's slap mark fades as the animal grows, and a poultry leg ring that fitted a young bird can tighten on a mature leg, so rings need checking for fit, not just presence.
Practical Steps That Help
Work through these species by species and build them into handling you already do:
- Horses: have the chip scanned at routine vet visits and check the passport markings still match the horse
- Cattle, sheep and goats: inspect ear tags at every handling, replace losses promptly and log the change
- Pigs: keep the slap-mark or tag number recorded against the animal's pen and batch records
- Poultry: fit leg rings at the right size and recheck fit as birds mature
- Every species: keep a recent full-body photo and note distinguishing marks now, not after a loss
The photo file earns its keep the day an animal strays. An official number proves ownership on paper, but a clear photograph of the actual animal — its markings, its horn shape, its odd patch of colour — is what a neighbour or a finder recognises at a gate.
Keeping It Going
Identification only works as a system: the mark on the animal, the number in your register and the photograph in the file must all agree, and they drift apart a little at every unrecorded change. Audit the three against each other whenever an animal is handled for another reason — a vet visit, a move between fields, a sale or a new arrival — and correct the register on the spot rather than trusting memory at the end of the week. For animals that can safely wear one, scanning the QR code from KinsLe's Verified QR ID Pet Profiles takes a finder straight to that animal's profile and on to you.