EZ-Mark® Marking Crayons
EZ-Mark® harness crayons are a great way to identify if a ewe or doe has been bred.
Crayons are available in red, blue, green, orange, yellow and black. For best results, use in outside temperatures from 40–80°F.
For outside temperatures lower than 40°F or higher than 80°F, look to Nettex Marking Crayons which are available in HOT/FIRM and COLD/SOFT options.
Crayons are compatible with Premier’s Deluxe Marking Harness, Nylon Breeding Harness or Cross Your Heart Leather Breeding Harness. (Harnesses sold separately.)
Instructions/Diagrams:
Crayon Insertion Instructions 
Specs
- Outside temperature range: 40–80°F
- Size: 4" length x (Front: 2" width, Back: 2 1/4" width) x 1" height
- Contains wax, colorants and inert excipients; no toxic components
- Metal cotter pin (hidden under the label) comes with each crayon
- Plastic case protects crayons during transport
- Compatible with Premier’s Deluxe Marking Harness, Nylon Breeding Harness or Cross Your Heart Leather Breeding Harness. (Harnesses sold separately.)
Marking Crayons Compared
| Premier EZ-Mark® Crayons |
Nettex Cold/Soft |
Nettex All-weather |
Nettex Hot/Firm |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. Range: | 40–80°F | 25–65°F | 40–85°F | 85°F+ |
| Colors: | Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, Black | Red, Blue, Green | Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, Black | Red, Blue, Green |
| Price (ea): | $4.00 | $4.50 | $4.50 | $4.50 |
How to Use
How to take off the protective plastic cover:
- Hold in one hand so crayon itself is facing you.
- Push the crayon (hole in the center) with finger or thumb.
- Crayon should pop out.
How to install crayon into harness holder:
- Remove cotter pin out of back of crayon by making a slit down middle of sticker.
- Place narrow end of crayon (plastic side down) in wide part of holder.
- Gently slide up until it can go no further.
- Slide cotter pin through holes on side of holder and crayon.
- With needle nose pliers, bend end of cotter pin to lock in place.
Precautions
- The shade of the marks on wool may not exactly match the crayon color.
- Store in a dry, cool place to prevent crayons from melting.
- Always check the ram every day to see if the crayon needs changing or the harness needs adjusting!
Troubleshooting
Listed below are recommended optional components or related items. Your particular situation may require alternative recommendations. Please call and talk to our consultants if there are any questions at 800-282-6631.
-
Breeding Supplies
Nylon Breeding Harness
Item #501000 -Ram and billy crayon marking harness. Ideal for larger framed animals. Quick and easy to adjust.
$18.00 -
Breeding Supplies
Deluxe Marking Harness
Item #501020 -Many flocks use marking harnesses on their breeding rams to identify when ewes are bred.
$27.00 -
Breeding Supplies
Cross Your Heart Breeding Harness
Item #502600 -Harness fits to rams and bucks to hold marking crayons, letting shepherds know when ewes or does have been bred to anticipate lambing kidding dates.
$25.00 -
Breeding Supplies
Sheep Management Wheel
Item #986000 -Provides a detailed schedule based on your preferred lambing date. Very helpful in planning out your shepherding year.
$13.00
Write a Review
You must be logged in to leave a review. Please sign in.
We have been using EZ-Mark® Crayons for several years on our own farms in southeast Iowa with good success. (Weather in Iowa can change quickly between very cold and very hot.) It has puzzled us that some have indicated the same good results while others have expressed disappointment.
Regardless, enough folks have expressed frustration—especially in hot or cold climates—that we felt an alternative must be offered. So we brought in marking crayons from a reputable UK manufacturer. COLD/SOFT and HOT/FIRM crayons are available from Nettex for folks who want to try a different brand.
Susan S from Oregon
The markers are easy to install in the Premier harness. I like the pin that goes through the harness and marker. The pin keeps the marker well attached, unlike the buttons.
Timothy T from Washington
Very nice. But when Fall temperatures go up be sure you have several on hand as they wear out fast when soft. The ram’s body temp can soften the base crayon but they tend to do the job for 40–60 ewes.
Nathan R from North Dakota
Crayons didn’t hold up, crumbled within days of putting on.
Brenna C from West Virginia
These are good crayons especially if you only have one ram. However this year I have 3 rams and will be purchasing a 4th soon. It’s been hot here and that means going through a lot of crayons. I’ve tried all of them, and none of them mark as well as these. The hot ones are incredibly hard and barely leave a mark, even in very hot weather. I don’t like having to try to interpret whether my ewes were actually bred or the ram accidentally bumped them.
These leave excellent marks that are unmistakable but the downside is they wear down very quickly. After turning my rams out Sunday night with new crayons, I had to change them all out tonight (Thursday) they have each bred 4-5 ewes. It’s been in the 80s here.
The main problem is the cotter pin is no longer/shorter on one side so it’s very hard to get it bent into place. The other thing that is annoying is how the crayon is attached to the harness. Way too hard to try to line up the pin with the holes unless you want to take the whole thing off and I’m not doing that. That’s not this products fault though, but an overall design flaw on marking harnesses in general.
David A from Pennsylvania
Very fast service. Thank youl
