106 Western Live-stock Management 



and lasting injury. With horses, the brand is applied 

 almost instantly, but with cattle the iron must be held to 

 the skin for a moment, since it takes a little time for the 

 hair to burn through. If the iron is very hot, however, 

 the work is performed as soon as the iron strikes through 

 the hair. One should not be satisfied, however, with 

 brands that only affect the hair. They look all right, but 

 in the fall they cannot be found. 



Another very important factor in making a brand legible 

 is the way the animal is held. If held absolutely solid 

 so that he cannot jump around and cause the iron to slip, 

 a good brand can be made ; but if he can move at all, a 

 blur is sure to result. One of the strong points in favor 

 of the chute method of branding is that the animals can 

 be held more securely so that there is less danger of blurred 

 brands. 



The common locations for the brand are the hips, 

 thighs, sides, and shoulders. Of these, the hips and side 

 are by far the best. Between the two, the preference is 

 for the hips. When animals are running out in the open, 

 a brand on the side can be more easily seen; but when 

 crowded together in a corral or cutting pen, the hip brand 

 is more convenient. If the brand is placed on the side it 

 must be well up toward the backbone, for otherwise it can- 

 not be seen when the animals are crowded. A larger brand 

 can be placed on the side than on the hip, although a brand 

 larger than can be put on the hip is seldom necessary. 

 The shoulder presents an excellent surface on which to put 

 a brand, but the animal must stand broadside toward 

 you and there must be no other animals in the way or the 

 brand cannot be seen. The thigh brand also cannot be 

 seen when the animal is in a bunch. This is a very im- 

 portant consideration, since it is essential that the brands 



