Why Do They Clip Goats' Ears?

A goat with notched ears is easy to pick out of a large herd.

People generally clip their goats' ears as part of a permanent identification system. This process is called ear notching, and it can help you distinguish an individual goat from a large herd. A goat with notched ears has tiny sections of their outer ear clipped off with special pliers to correspond with a unique number.

Identifying Goats in Large Herds

If you have a large herd of goats, you need to give each one a unique and permanent number as soon as it is born or purchased. You won't be able to tell your goats apart by their markings and mannerisms alone, especially if you have several hundred of them to keep track of. It's much easier to tell your goats apart if you assign each of them a unique number. Tattooing, branding and ear notching are all examples of methods that allow you to place this unique number directly on the goat. This will allow you to pick an individual out of your herd quickly and easily.

Ear Notching Code

A goat with notched ears has V-shaped notches or small holes in one or both ears that corresponding to a numbering system. The placement of each notch, depending on which ear and which part of the ear it's in, represents a number. The notch code is as follows:

Left Ear Values: Bottom: 1, Top: 10, End: 100, and Center Hole: 1,000.
Right Ear Values: Bottom: 3, Top: 30, End: 300, and Center Hole: 3,000.

Once you know each notch's value, you simply add the total values of each notch to determine the number of the goat. For example, goat number 135 would have one notch on the end of its left ear for 100, one notch on top of its right ear for 30, two notches on the bottom of its left ear for two and one notch on bottom of its right ear for three. The notching system allows you to mark your goat with any whole number up to 9999.

History and Popularity of Ear Notching

The goat ear-notching system was first used on Angora goats and was later adapted for goats in the meat industry. It is still in use today, but ear tattooing is a more popular permanent identification method for goats. Ear notching is also used for other herd animals, such as cows, but it is most popular in the swine industry. Pig farmers will often use a slightly different notching system that gives each pig a number to identify them both as an individual and as part of a litter.

Important Ear Notching Safety Tips

Make sure you always use ear notching pliers that are appropriately sized for the age of your goat.

Restrain your goat properly before ear notching to keep both it and yourself safe. Although it is brief, ear notching still causes discomfort for goats. You don't want your goat to pull away while you're trying to notch its ears, otherwise it might tear its ear or accidentally harm you.

Disinfect your notching pliers between each goat. This is essential to prevent the spread of disease.

Treat all fresh notches with iodine to minimize bleeding and prevent infection.

Is Ear Notching Right for Your Goats?

Remember that not all branding methods are best for all situations. The same is true for ear notching. The size of your herd, the goats' environment and the frequency with which you come into contact with each animal are all factors you should consider when determining the best identification system for you. However, permanent marking methods like tattooing or ear notching are generally preferable for goats, because plastic ear tags can rip out easily and goats will sometimes chew on them.

Talk to your vet if you are unfamiliar with livestock identification methods. Your vet can help you determine the best system to use and give you detailed advice on proper equipment and safe techniques.

References

• Langston University Goat & Research Extension: Meat Goat Management
• Purdue University: Methods of Livestock Identification

Resources

• Cyber Goats: Caprine Veterinary Reference