Brand
Brand, a mark made on an animal to show ownership. Branding became essential in the open-range cattle days of the American West when various owners' herds tended to intermingle, but its use is old and widespread.
In open-range days cattle were rounded up twice a year. In the spring roundup, calves were branded while still with the mother cows. In fall, herds were separated by brands so owners might assemble calves and yearlings for market.
There are two types of branding: hot iron branding and freeze branding. A branding iron consists of the brand design in iron or (for freeze branding) copper attached to a rod with a handle. In hot iron branding, the brand is burned onto the hide of the animal. A brand can also be burned with a straight rod, called a running iron, but because of their use by rustlers (cattle thieves) in altering brands, running irons are generally illegal. In freeze branding, the iron is cooled with dry ice or liquid nitrogen and pressed against the animal. This destroys the color-producing cells in the hair follicles, causing the hair to grow out white. For white animals, the iron is held a little longer to destroy the hair follicles; the hair falls out, leaving a clean, hairless brand.
Other methods of cattle identification include tattooing and ear tags.