How to Tattoo a Dairy Goat

Dairy goats must be tattooed before you can register them or record them in the herd books of the American Dairy Goat Association. The easiest place to tattoo a goat is in the ears, except the LaMancha, which has tiny ears and should be tattooed in the tail web. The association has a system of letters and numbers for tattooing, which they issue on request. The tattoo identifying the herd goes in the right ear and an individual tattoo for each goat goes in the left ear. Even if you don't plan to register your goat, a tattoo is a good thing to have if it gets lost, is stolen or strays from home.

Things You'll Need

  • Tattoo pliers (2 pair)
  • Tattoo digits
  • Tattoo ink/paste
  • Old toothbrush
  • Piece of paper with the correct tattoos written on it
  • Alcohol
  • Laundry bleach
  • Paper Towels
  • Gloves
  • Assistant
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Instructions

    • 1

      Insert the correct digits into each pair of tattoo pliers. The pair with the herd tattoo will stay the same for all your goats, but the second pair with the individual tattoo will need to be changed with each goat you tattoo.

    • 2

      Punch the tattoo into the piece of paper and check that the numbers and letters match.

    • 3

      Restrain the goat with a halter and a "bear hug" by an assistant or in a stanchion. Tattooing smarts a bit, so be prepared for some jumping and yelling.

    • 4

      Put on gloves, clean the area to be tattooed thoroughly with alcohol on a paper towel and dry it carefully. Try to select a hairless area between veins that has no skin blemishes. A vein punctured by a tattoo needle will bleed messily.

    • 5

      Coat the selected area with tattoo ink/paste.

    • 6

      Open the tattoo pliers and place the area to be tattooed between the needles and the rubber pad, with the needles at the surface to be tattooed.

    • 7

      Clamp down firmly on the pliers so that the needles go through the skin and flesh and into the rubber pad. Hang on tight when the goat jumps and bleats.

    • 8

      Open the pliers to release them and immediately rub more ink/paste into the area. Use the old toothbrush to scrub it in for at least 15 seconds to be sure it gets into the punctures and the tattoo will be clear and sharp.

    • 9

      Wipe of the excess paste with a paper towel and release the goat. The non-tattooed ink stain will wear off gradually by itself.

    • 10

      Clean the pliers by removing the rubber pad and digits, rinsing the needles and soaking all the pieces in alcohol or bleach water (one cup regular laundry bleach in one gallon of water) for five minutes to sanitize.

    • 11

      Reassemble the tattooing pliers with the digits for the next tattoo and go catch another goat.