Kelley (Texas)
New member
This is a photo of my "Hot" Branding Iron that I took a few minutes ago on the kitchen table to the dismay of Debbie. I put a towel under it so that it would not scratch the table. My brand "FK" is registered in Gonzales County, Texas and has been since about 1985 when Texas passed a law that stated that if you brand your cattle, your brand had to be registered in any County where you owned cattle. Our ranch in Gonzales County was pretty isolated with the nearest neighbor several miles away, thus it was wise to brand the cattle in hopes that if any were stolen they could be located if sold through an auction.
This branding iron is what is known as a "hot" branding iron because you heated it in a fire and then branded the cow. You had to be careful when using this method because if you left the branding iron on the cow too long the brand would not be clear. Many folks are now using a method called "cold" branding where you use dry ice instead of a fire. "Cold" branding does not scar the hide of the cow like "hot" branding, instead it causes the hair to turn a light color, forming the brand where the branding iron touches the hide.
We always tried to brand the calves at the 205 day mark, same time that we would weigh them and give vacinations. This was always a busy week, lots of time on horesback flushing the calves out of the brush.
Hope that I have not confused anyone in regards to branding cattle. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)
This branding iron is what is known as a "hot" branding iron because you heated it in a fire and then branded the cow. You had to be careful when using this method because if you left the branding iron on the cow too long the brand would not be clear. Many folks are now using a method called "cold" branding where you use dry ice instead of a fire. "Cold" branding does not scar the hide of the cow like "hot" branding, instead it causes the hair to turn a light color, forming the brand where the branding iron touches the hide.
We always tried to brand the calves at the 205 day mark, same time that we would weigh them and give vacinations. This was always a busy week, lots of time on horesback flushing the calves out of the brush.
Hope that I have not confused anyone in regards to branding cattle. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)