Branding FAQ

We just finished up branding our 2022 calf crop. Here at the ranch, we do a traditional "rope and drag" type of branding. Branding Day is always a momentous day at the ranch, and we love to capture it each year with a local photographer as well (cue gorgeous imagery below).

Read on to learn more about branding at Eagle Rock Ranch !

Why do you brand your cattle?

Think of a brand as an animal’s “return address”. Although branding is not required by law in Colorado, the vast majority of ranchers do brand their animals. Because we utilize National Forest land for the majority of our summer grazing, the brand is very important to ensure that any cattle that may get lost eventually find their way back to Eagle Rock Ranch. Moreover, the brand is a permanent marker (unlike an ear tag that could fall out or be swapped out) and allows us to clearly identify our cattle (aka property).

What is the Eagle Rock Ranch brand?

This is a 2 part story, bear with me....

Early on in our ranching journey, we used the "rocking reverse E R" brand to brand our cattle. You can now find this brand on much of our marketing materials, hats, etc. However, this brand was a bit too intricate to work well in practical use on our cattle. At its most basic, a cattle brand is composed of a few simple letters and numbers, possibly in combination with a basic shape or symbols like a line, circle, heart, arc, or diamond. There is a reason that the coveted "single symbol" brands work best, and we started the search for one of our own, retiring the "rocking reverse E R" for marketing use only.

There are currently approximately 30,000 registered Colorado livestock brands, which means all of the "single symbol" brands were long gone and claimed (the CO brand registry started in the late 1800's). We would have to be patient and wait for one to come for sale (Yes! Livestock brands are treated at law as personal property and are recorded in brand deed books and conveyed/transferred by deed). Our patience paid off.

Welcome, the "Spade" brand! The single "Spade" (looks like the head of a shovel) on the left rib is currently ours and registered to Eagle Rock Ranch. This brand has worked very well for us, it is easy to apply, and most importantly - easy to identify.

How can someone use a brand to identify ownership?

All brands in Colorado must be registered with the Brands Division as a Colorado livestock brand. This ensures that no duplicates are out there and that cattle can easily be identified and traced back to their proper owner. The Brand Division employees "Brand Inspectors" whose solid job is to identify and confirm brands to verify ownership (and transfer of!). This ensures modern day cattle rustling activities stay at bay! This also helps when cattle get commingled (not by choice) on our public lands or in a sale barn.

Does branding hurt the cattle?

I'd assume that branding isn't the most comfortable event in a calf (or cow’s) life. However, I do have a few things to point out. The hide of a calf is quite thick (think leather for your belts, shoes, car seats, etc!) and when we apply the hot iron, we only brand the top layer of the hide. We DO NOT brand through the hide. Moreover, I am very proud to announce that we were part of a pain management study during our 2021 branding (research findings to be published soon). This study - the very first of its kind - was done in conjunction with a major agriculture teaching university, and I cannot wait to tell you all about it!

For the past 5 years, we have administered pain medication to each calf at branding (this is quite progressive and not all ranchers do this). The research study set out to prove the importance of this pain medicine, and that it did indeed lessen the stress and pain that the calf experienced during the process. Pretty cool! Stay tuned for a Part 2 post on Branding! Thanks for following along!