I'm Now the Proud Owner . . .

For my birthday in April, I received a really amazing gift from my dad: the ownership of the family brand.  My Grandpa Hall originally applied for the ownership rights in the early 1960s, and it has belonged to my dad's company since then.  It is H Hanging 4 and looks like this:

Montana and New Mexico are the only states that still require a hot iron brand and that do not accept "freeze brands."  For example, in order to borrow money to buy cattle, the cattle must have a brand that has been "burned red hot so the scar will peel" (according to my brand paperwork from the state).  Similarly, "before change of ownership or removal from county," a critter must have been hot iron branded.  Now, that said, the practice is somewhat controversial, and the MT Department of Livestock has actually been discussing the possibility of accepting freeze brands.  While hot iron brands literally burn the flesh and cause a permanent scar, freeze branding affects the development of pigment in the shafts of hair by killing the color follicle.  As a result, the branded area grows white hair instead of dark hair.  To apply a freeze brand, the animal's hair must be shaved and the iron must be brought to an exceptionally cold temperature with either liquid nitrogen or an alcohol/dry ice combination before it is applied to the skin.  There are even a number of benefits to freeze brands -- the process does not destroy the animal's hide, a freeze brand is far more visible on dark-haired animals than a hot iron brand, and calves that are freeze branded gain weight better because they experience less trauma.  In fact, some expensive race horses are even been freeze branded.

Here are some photos for comparison:

A freshly applied hot iron brand

A freshly applied freeze brand

An older freeze brand with the hair grown back in

Therefore, I am hoping to freeze brand Harriet and probably even Daisy.  I won't be able to sell or move them elsewhere, but then again I don't plan to.  And there's something kind of fulfilling about "trademarking" one's cattle.  It also serves a similar function to putting a tag on a dog's collar -- if a critter were ever to get out, the likelihood of getting it back is a higher.

So when the time comes, I will share more about the process and pass along some photos.  I'm also planning to post some updated photos of Harriet -- she's growing so quickly!