Qwik Tags
Temporary nylon loop ear tag for lambs and goat kids.
Customize your tags! We can customize your ear tags with consecutive numbers or farm/ranch name. Usually shipped within 2 business days. To order, see Customization below.
If ordering tags with no imprint, type "Blank" in the Customization Instructions box in the shopping cart. Please note: Qwik Tags are not hand-writable with a tag pen.
Not Scrapie approved.
Instructions/Diagrams:
Application Instructions 
Specs
- Dimensions: 1-1/2" x 3/8"
- 20 tags per package
- Nylon, 1-piece tag
- Insert tags using a Qwik Tag Applicator.
- Tag colors in order of visibility and contrast of the printed numbers: Yellow, White, Salmon, Orange, Lime Green, Light Blue, Red and Dark Blue.
- Qwik Tags are NOT hand-writable
- Not Scrapie approved
Customization
Custom printing details…
- Order tags above.
- Determine imprint:
- Numbers must be consecutive with or without repeating farm/ranch names. Up to 13 characters and 1 line per side.
- Logos/Brands: A one-time $25 setup fee per design.
- Imprint location - male side, female side or both. Note: We will print both sides (male and female) unless otherwise specified.
- Enter tag numbers/letters either in the "Customization Instructions" box in the Shopping Cart or the "Comments" box on the Payment Options screen.
- Custom-imprinted tags are not returnable.
How do I order…
- Blank Tags—Enter package quantity of tags above and type "blank" in the Customization Instructions box in the shopping cart.
- Individual names, numbers or replacement tags—Specific animal names on each tag as well as individual numbers out of sequence can be done. But it takes much more machine time per tag so the cost per tag is $2.50/tag and please call Premier at 800-282-6631.
How to Use
Use the Qwik Tag applicator to install the tags:
- The male and female tags will come to you slightly connected. You will need to tear them apart.
- Place the flag of the female tag under the metal spring finger. The printed side of the female tag will be against the jaw of the applicator. Slide the male tag over the metal pin. Be sure to push it all the way onto the pin. The printed side of the male tag will be against the other jaw of the applicator.
- Make sure the tag is correctly placed. Slowly squeeze the handles together to be sure the male pin aligns with the female opening (be careful to not put the tag together yet).
- Place the ear between the jaws of the applicator. While gripping the ear, quickly and firmly squeeze the handles together until the male tag is inserted through the ear and into the female tag.
Tag placement is critical to success! Avoid the large veins in the ear. Why? Tissue around damaged veins heals slowly—so it’s prone to infection.
Precautions
Qwik Tags are NOT hand-writable
Note: We will print both sides (male and female) unless otherwise specified.
Inserting Tags In Cold Weather
Plastic tags (all brands) are much easier to install if they are warm. Why? As the temperature drops below freezing plastic becomes less flexible (more stiff) and forcing the male point of a tag through the female takes many more lbs. of pressure (because the female must expand).
So if you care about your hands it’s a good idea to keep the tags above freezing in very cold weather. It takes very little to do this. One method is to simply store them while tagging in a small bucket, cardboard box or tool box with a lid alongside a sealed pop bottle full of warm water. The warm water will keep both the air and the tags warmer in the container.
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Applicators
Qwik Tag Applicator
Item #616372 -Installs Qwik Tag livestock identification tags. Sturdy metal applicator is 9" long.
$31.00 -
Equipment
SuperLube™, 8 oz
Item #550800 -An all-purpose antiseptic OB lubricant for lambing and kidding. Very useful if a lamb (or kid) goes dry during birth.
$6.00 -
Docking and Castrating
Pine Tar (squeezable bottle), 16 oz
Item #623200 -Cover wounds on sheep, goats, chickens and guardian dogs to repel flies and biting insects. Effective for several days after application.
$16.00 -
Docking and Castrating
Catron® IV, 10 oz spray can
Item #888147 -Used for treating sheep with fly-strike and as a preventative after docking, castrating or ear tagging. 10 oz spray can.
$12.00 -
Foot Trimming and Care
Premier Serrated Foot Trimmer
Item #750900 -Great for cutting tough hooves of larger sheep and goat breeds. Best hand trimmer (in value, ability and quality) for large hands.
$26.00
Write a Review
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Ambling B from Maryland
Although these are listed as temporary tags for lambs, I use them lifelong, the main reason being that the sheep seldom lose them. Yes, I get an occasional split ear, where a sheep has gotten its tag caught in something and pulled it out, or an ear where the tag has turned, but not fallen out. But both are rare, and an actual loss is rarer still. I’ve tried lots of other tags, and the loss rate is much lower with these than any other I’ve tried. I would say that the loss rate is about one per hundred sheep, over their entire lifetime.
Another advantage is that, being small, they don’t disfigure the ear on a very young lamb. I put them in just before the lambs and mother leave their jugs, usually day three. At that age some of the lambs have very small flexible ears and “normal” tags cause them to droop, which can often lead to a permanent droop.
One disadvantage is that the numbers are small and thus hard to read from any distance. And I’ve found that putting them in too close to the head makes it difficult to read the left-most numbers because the natural fold of the ear hides that part of the tag. Nevertheless, I really like these tags. Over the years, I’ve had to ship too many animals because they lost their tags as adults and I couldn’t figure out who they were. I am bringing a new breed into the country (Gotlands) and keeping accurate records is important, so having tags that don’t fall out is vital to my breeding program.
I would happily trade these for the equally small RFID tags, and/or a microchip, but I use a Mac computer, and so far, no one has created a record-keeping program for the RFID tags that works on Macs (and no one seems interested in doing one either). So, for the moment, these are the best tags I can find.
If losing tags is a problem for you, try these. They really do work.
Robert D from Wyoming
Great and cheap $
Janet M from Minnesota
I like ribbon tags for their ease and speed of use. Unfortunately this batch of tags twist in the applicator and require a lot of fidgeting to assure that they attach properly. I did not have this problem last year.
Ross C from Louisiana
These are the cheapest tags I could find, but you do have to buy the special applicator. I use these tags for tagging lambs that will be taken to the butcher or otherwise sold. The lambs (Katahdin x Dorper) grew to approximately 80 lbs and their ears didn’t grow into the tags. Retention rate was excellent, in my case, 100%. I could see how these tags could be ripped out, especially if animals are grazing in heavily wooded areas.
Crystal Y from Tennessee
I waited 5 months to leave feedback for these eartags. I normally used the little brass ones for my lambs, but as they grew the tags would cut into their ears. These tags, while a bit big in the beginning, have worked out nicely. None have been lost and the lambs' ears can grow into them without cutting or tearing their ears. I will order more next winter!
