EZ-Mark® Marking Crayons
Product Details
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, Orange, Yellow, Black | Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, Black | Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, Black |
| Price (ea): | $5.00 | $6.25 | $6.25 | $6.25 |
How to Use
- 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
- 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.
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Breeding Supplies
Nylon Breeding Harness
Item #501000 -Ram crayon marking harness. Ideal for larger framed animals. Quick and easy to adjust.
$19.00 -
Breeding Supplies
Deluxe Marking Harness
Item #501020 -Many flocks use marking harnesses on their breeding rams to identify when ewes are bred.
$28.50 -
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.
$27.00 -
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.
$14.00 -
Lambing and Kidding Aids
Lambing Barn Sheets, 10 per packet
Item #780045 -Keep records with these easy-to-use lambing barn sheets. An easy reference for all of your lambing details. Packet of 10.
$10.00 -
Books
Hobby Farm Series - Goat Book
Item #981023 -This book is an in-depth guide to small-scale goat keeping--for pleasure and profit!
$17.00 -
Books
Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep
Item #981004 -Comprehensive and current information on raising sheep. By Paula Simmons and Carol Ekarius.
$27.00
Write a Review
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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.
Margaret J from Indiana
These are not worth it, even with the discounted price. The crayons are too soft and wear off very quickly if they don’t break off on their own before the ram even breeds anything. The fastening pin is too short and you can’t get it bent in a way that doesn’t poke the ram. The Nettex brand is so much better. One of their crayons is worth 3 of these.
Spencer S from Colorado
Harness seems good, but the crayons (Premier brand) keep shearing off the harness. Called Premier and the person I spoke with was not helpful. His view was that it was the ram was breaking it off and that was that. I’ve bought more than one harness from Premier and many crayons and never had this problem. Great company and I use many of their products, but I’m very unsatisfied with this latest product/interaction.
Rhonda H from Idaho
These crayons are just OK. They are very soft, and depending on the weight of the ram can be gone after about a dozen ewes. We only use them to determine 2nd cycle for ewes that might have not bred 1st cycle, or for a very small bunch that we can check often. Less expensive, but there’s a reason why.
Janet P from Colorado
Clip is hard to use. The ends of the clip need to have one end longer than the other so it’s easier to bend on the harness. Color only seems to last through 2 ewes. I like the price but the product could use some improvements.
Gillian F from New York
Fits easily into the harnesses. Too soft for warm temps, rams wore off all the chalk in the first 4–5 days of a new color even at temps less than 80°F. Because the ends of the locking cotter pins are even with each other it makes it very hard to bend the pin to keep it from falling out, the Nettex brand of chalk has the ends different lengths so it’s easy to bend one.
