American Old West In the era of
American Old West,
cattle were grazed on
open range. As a result, Cows would thus give birth in wild or semi-wild conditions. Occasionally
calves would fail to be collected in the annual
round up and escape
branding. More rarely, these would grow into mature animals. As such, they could be captured, claimed, and branded by any
rancher capable of doing so.
The US today Some animals are left unbranded today for reasons that include being destined for the show ring, to avoid a scar on a hide intended for leatherworking, and opposition to a practice seen as
cruel. These animals, however, are not left free of
identification, receiving instead some form of somewhat more humane methods, which include
freeze branding,
tattooing, attachment of
ear tags, and
microchip implanting, usually placed in the neck. As a result of this variety of methods, and the reality that most cattle today are run on private ranches, an unidentified mature animal is rarely found today. When one is, the most common practice is to make a concerted effort to locate a possible owner; failing that, the animal is typically put up for
public auction at a
sheriff's sale, with the proceeds used to defray costs incurred in its handling. == References ==