18/10/2026
That plastic ear tag you’re depending on? It can fall off. Your pig’s identity shouldn’t. 🐖
One of the simplest things you can do on a pig farm is also one of the most important: **ear marking/notching your pigs.**
Plastic ear tags are useful for identification, but they are not permanent. They can get caught on feeders, pen fittings, fences, or during handling and eventually fall off.
When that happens, how do you know which pig is which?
That’s why we use an **ear notch cutter** to create a permanent identification pattern on the pig’s ear.
A good ear-notching system helps you:
🐷 Identify individual pigs or litters
🐷 Keep accurate breeding records
🐷 Track the mother, birth group and performance
🐷 Know which pigs have received treatments or vaccinations
🐷 Avoid mixing up pigs when tags are lost
🐷 Make selection and culling decisions easier
The important part is to have a **clear, consistent ear-notching system** and record the notch immediately. The notch only helps if you understand what your farm’s numbering system means.
**Plastic tag = easy visual identification.**
**Ear notch = your backup identification system.**
On a commercial farm, you don’t want to depend on one method of identification.
Would you like me to show you **how to read pig ear notches and assign numbers correctly?** 👇🏾
**Comment “EBOOK” and I’ll send you the link to get my pig farming ebooks. 📚🐖**
— **GreatLadyFarmer | GricGreat Limited**