Ear tags are one of the animal identifiers, mainly used to prove the identity of livestock and carry individual information of livestock. It is usually applied to the ears of livestock as an electronic ID card for animals. The following is a detailed introduction about ear tags:
1, Composition and types of ear tags
Ear tags generally consist of two parts: the main tag and the auxiliary tag. The main tag includes the main tag ear tag surface, ear tag neck, and ear tag head. The back of the main tag ear tag surface is connected to the ear tag neck, and when in use, the ear tag head penetrates the animal ear, embeds the auxiliary tag, and fixes the ear tag, while the ear tag neck remains in the perforation. Ear tags are used to carry coding information.
According to different technologies, ear tags are mainly divided into two types: QR code ear tags and electronic ear tags:
QR code ear tag: Laser is used to engrave encoded information on the ear tag surface, and relevant information of livestock can be obtained by scanning the QR code.
Electronic ear tag: using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, built-in chip and antenna, encoded information stored in the chip. Electronic ear tags have been widely used in animal husbandry due to their non-contact, long-distance, automatic recognition of moving objects, and readability.
2, The function and application of ear tags
Identity recognition and information management: Each animal corresponds to a unique ear tag, which can be quickly and accurately identified through RFID readers to obtain information such as breed, source, production performance, immune status, health status, and owner. These pieces of information are crucial for the management of animal husbandry and can help breeding enterprises achieve refined management.
Epidemic tracing and responsibility clarification: In the event of an epidemic or quality issues with livestock products, ear tags can be used to quickly trace the source of the problematic livestock, clarify responsibilities, and plug loopholes. This is of great significance for ensuring the safe production of animal husbandry and maintaining market order.
Information management: Electronic ear tags can be combined with various animal husbandry management systems to achieve information management of daily information such as livestock material management, immunization management, disease management, death management, weighing management, medication management, and slaughter records. This greatly improves the efficiency and management level of aquaculture.
Health monitoring and warning: Some advanced electronic ear tags also have functions such as temperature measurement and step counting, which can monitor physiological indicators such as body temperature and exercise volume of livestock in real time. By comprehensively analyzing these data, the health status and estrus state of livestock can be accurately determined, achieving precise disease and estrus warnings, reducing losses and increasing profits.
3, Selection and precautions of ear tags
When choosing ear tags, the following factors need to be considered:
Working frequency band: According to the regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture of China, electronic ear tags that animals can wear are divided into low-frequency ear tags (134.2kHz) and ultra-high frequency ear tags (920-925MHz). Low frequency ear tags have strong anti-interference ability and high recognition rate, but weak batch recognition ability; Ultra high frequency ear tags can read multiple tags simultaneously but are easily affected by liquids and metals.
Material and Durability: The material of the ear tag should have good durability and biocompatibility to ensure that long-term wear will not cause discomfort or harm to livestock.
Reading distance and accuracy: Choose the appropriate reading distance and accuracy according to actual needs to ensure accurate information acquisition.
In short, ear tags play an important role as animal identification tools in animal husbandry. By selecting and using ear tags reasonably, it is possible to achieve refined management of livestock, epidemic tracing, information management, and health monitoring and early warning functions, thereby improving breeding efficiency and management level and ensuring the safety production of animal husbandry.