Livestock branding is any technique for marking livestock so as to identify the owner. Originally, livestock branding only referred to a hot brand for large stock, though the term is now also used to refer to other alternative techniques such as freeze branding. Other forms of livestock identification include inner lip or ear tattoos, earmarking, ear tagging, and RFID tagging with a type of microchip. The semi-permanent paint markings used to identify sheep in Australia are called a paint brand. In the American west, branding evolved into a complex marking system still in use today.
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History
The act of marking livestock with fire-heated marks to identify ownership has origins in Ancient times, with use dating back to the Ancient Egyptians.[1] In English Lexicon, the word brand originally meant anything hot or burning, such as a fire-brand, a burning stick. By the European Middle Ages it commonly identified the process of burning a mark into a stock animals with thick hides, such as cattle, so as to identify ownership under animus revertendi. The practice became particularly widespread in nations with large cattle grazing regions, such as Spain. These European customs were imported to the Americas and were further refined by the vaquero tradition in what today is the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. In the American West, a branding iron consisted of an iron rod with a simple symbol or mark which cowboys heated in a fire. After the branding iron turned red-hot, the cowboy pressed the branding iron against the hide of the cow. The unique brand meant that cattle owned by multiple ranches could then graze freely together on the open range. Cowboys could then separate the cattle at round-up time for driving to market.
Modern usage
Free-range or open range grazing is less common today than in the past. However, branding still has its uses. The main purpose is in proving ownership of lost or stolen animals. Many western US states have strict laws regarding brands, including brand registration and required brand inspections. In many cases, a brand on an animal is considered prima facie proof of ownership. (See Brand Book) In the hides and leather industry, brands are treated as a defect, and can diminish the value of the hide. This industry has a number of traditional terms relating to the type of brand on a hide. Colorado Branded (slang Collie) refers to placement of a brand on the side of an animal, although this does not necessarily indicate the animal is from Colorado. Butt branded refers to a hide which has had a brand placed on the portion of the skin covering the rump area of the animal. Native refers to a hide without a brand. [2]
Methods of branding
The traditional cowboy or stockman captured and secured an animal for branding by roping it, laying it over on the ground, tying its legs together, and applying a branding iron that had been heated in a fire. Modern ranch practice has moved toward use of chutes where animals can be run into a confined area and safely secured while the brand is applied. Two types of restraint are the squeeze chute, which closes on either side of a standing animal, or a branding cradle, where the animal is first confined in a chute, then the chute is rotated so the animal is laying on its side. Some ranches still heat branding irons in a wood or coal fire, others use an electric branding iron or electric sources to heat a traditional iron. The iron is only applied for the amount of time needed to remove all hair and create a permanent mark. Branding irons are applied for a longer period of time to cattle than to horses, due to the differing thickness of the skin. If a brand is applied too long, it can damage the skin too deeply, thus requiring treatment for potential infection and longer-term healing.
Freeze branding
In contrast to traditional hot-iron branding, freeze branding uses a branding iron that has been chilled with a coolant such as dry ice or liquid nitrogen. Rather than burning a scar into the animal, a freeze brand damages the pigment-producing hair cells, causing the animal's hair to grow white where the brand has been applied. To apply a freeze brand, the hair coat of the animal is shaved so that the bare skin is exposed, then the frozen iron is applied to the bare area for a period of time that varies with both the species of animal and the color of its hair coat: Shorter times are used on dark-colored animals, simply causing the hair follicles to lose all color and regrow as white hairs. Longer times are needed on animals with white hair coats, as the brand is applied long enough to permanently stop the hair from growing in the branded area and only skin remains. Freeze brands cause less damage to the animal's hide than hot iron brands, are less painful, and can be more visible. Horses are frequently freeze-branded. At this time, hogs cannot be successfully freeze branded as their hair pigment cells are better protected. Also, freeze branding is slower, more expensive, less predictable (more care is required in application to assure desired results), and in some places does not constitute a legal brand on cattle.[3] When an animal grows a long hair coat, the freeze brand is still visible, but its details are not always clear. Thus, is it sometimes necessary to shave or closely trim the hair so that a sharper image of a freeze brand can be viewed.
Symbols and terminology in branding
Most brands in the United States are capital letters, numerals, other symbols (such as a slash, circle, half circle, cross, and bar), and combinations thereof. Brands of this type have a specialized language for "calling" the brand. Some owners prefer to use simple pictures; these brands are called using a short description of the picture (e.g., "rising sun"). Brands are called left to right, top to bottom, and outside in. Letters and numerals can appear upright, reversed, or turned 90 degrees so that the character appears to be lying down or lazy. Upright symbols are called normally, reversed symbols are called with the word crazy before the name of the symbol (e.g. 
"Crazy K"), and symbols turned 90 degrees are called lazy (e.g., 
"lazy 5"). A letter that starts and ends with a long serif or horizontal line is called "flying". A letter set on top of a quarter circle is "rocking." There can also be certain combinations such as with two lines (e.g. "double flying" then the letter). Combinations of symbols can be made with each symbol distinct, or they may be connected with symbols touching, (
), combined (symbols are partially overlaid, 
), or hanging (symbols are touching, but arranged top to bottom).
See also
References
- ^ The Evolution of Branding http://brandingirons.com/index.html
- ^ Anonymous. Glossary of Meat Terminology. USDA Agricultural Market Service. Accessed May 2, 2007. http://marketnews.usda.gov/portal/lg?&paf_gear_id=4300011&help8=true&paf_dm=full
- ^ California Dept. of Food and Agriculture statement on freeze branding cattle, Accessed September 19, 2007
