The Importance Of Ear Tags

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Why do sheep need ear tags? What do they represent? Are they a requirement? Have any of these questions crossed your mind at some point? Well if they have, your questions are about to be answered. Those ear tags that you always see on the ears of sheep are Scrapie tags. On the Scrapie tag is an identification number that is specific to a particular farm and flock. It is a requirement of the National Scrapie Eradication Program or the NSEP. Scrapies is a fatal disease that can infect sheep and goats, affecting the central nervous system. There is no cure for this disease. Over a time period of several years the number of infected animals in your flock will increase. This would eventually make your flock economically unavailable and more than …show more content…
Your animal can get become infected with Scrapies during lambing as a result of the lamb coming in contact the placenta and birthing fluids. Also, it is known to be transmitted through blood transfusions, milk, and urine. Once infected the pasture will be contaminated for more than three years. Unfortunately, one cannot rule out the possibility of infection in non-exposed animals through contaminated pastures, therefore; it is important to maintain caution when introducing sheep to pastures with formerly contaminated animals. Genetics can be a determining factor of an animal’s susceptibility to scrapies. Sheep that are scrapie resistant are good candidates to control the disease through breeding …show more content…
All I knew was that they were a requirement for me to be able to take my sheep to the fairs. This just shows that there are other sheep producers out there that don’t know what the purpose of Scrapie tags are. It is important to be educated in Scrapie tags so you are not just going through the motions of tagging your sheep. Producers need to know the reason they are doing the things they do when it comes to their animals. And this is not just in Scrapie tags, this includes all aspects of caring for your animals. This way they know the importance of what they are doing to their animals so they can have their own opinions on the matter, and decide whether it is the best for your animal, or

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