Different Kinds of Cattle Brands

Cattle (livestock) branding has been used to identify domesticated herd animals since Egypt 2700 B.C. But, it was not until A.D. 1541 that the Spaniard Hernado Cortez introduced the idea of branding to Europeans. Spanish brand designs such as those used by Cortez were very elaborate compared to the cowboy-preferred simple branding that took place on cattle ranches as the West was being developed in America. The ability to read the various cattle brands is termed "callin' the brand."

  1. Shapes and Symbols

    • Some other cattle brand shapes are state shapes, such as Texas.

      The original purpose behind branding was to prevent livestock theft, which is still the reason modern ranchers use branding. Cattle brands can come in different shapes and designs. The iron maker can make designs to sell or the rancher can design his own cattle brand. Some examples of cattle brand shapes are the half-rising sun, star and three-rung ladder.

    Numbers, Letters and Characters

    • Cattle branding makes it easy for cattle herders to sort cattle in mixed herds from a distance.

      Number and letter brands can be a single digit or multiple digits. This method of branding can be used to brand the date/year and state or identification number. Characters such as the slash (forward or backward), circle, half-circle, cross and bar are used in conjunction with other numbers, letters and shapes. Numbers and letters can also be in special fonts called scripts. Cattle brands can also be accented with a line above or below the writing or by adding a rocker (relaxed half circle) under the script.

    Inverted and Special Characters

    • Some cattle brand makers offer to make steak and craft branding irons too.

      Inverted and special brands are more ornate than basic letter and number designs and may include symbols, shapes, or entire words. For example, a rancher may have the first two letters of her ranch name overlapped or connected (both letters facing outward and hinged in the middle) and turned upside down (inverted). Another special cattle brand symbol is the lazy S shape, which is the letter turned on its side.

    Considerations

    • All cattle brands are registered with each state's livestock registers. No one brand may be registered to two different individuals or cattle businesses in the same state. Since hot-iron branding leaves a black brand and freeze branding leaves a white brand, ranchers may alternate techniques depending on the color of the cattle's hide. Additionally, some states, such as California, do not recognize freeze branding as an official brand on cattle or require the brand to be in a specific location.