We all know what horses
and cattle go through getting branded with an iron heated to a high
temperature with an open flame. Yup, it hurts like hell and horses
especially fight the pain. Many people incorrectly apply to much
pressure while branding with a hot iron or sometimes not enough pressure.
Or for to long or sometimes for not long enough. All these things result
in a messy hard to read scarred brand or one that fades out.
Cold branding on the other hand
is a fairly simple technique that causes a great deal less pain and results in
an easier to read brand in the long run. In cold branding, (FREEZE
BRANDING), the branding iron is fully chilled in a container of Liquid
Nitrogen. You know it is ready to apply when the bubbles stop coming
from the Liquid Nitrogen. It is a fussier process than hot branding
because the area to be branded has to be clipped and given a liberal coat of
Alcohol. Current literature suggests Rubbing Alcohol, but Methyl Hydrate
is cheaper and appears to work just as well. Taking care to remove all
the hair by clipping and using plenty of Alcohol or Methyl Hydrate are
the two most important steps.
When the cold iron is applied
to the skin, it sticks securely. In about a minute the iron warms up
enough to lose its adhesion. At first it looks like the brand has
failed but in six to eight weeks the results are clearly visible. A
paper thin layer of skin where the brand touched will fall off and the hair
follicles are destroyed. The hair grows back in white. If the original
hair coat was white, then it grows back in darker so white animals can easily
be done also.
Less pain to the animal and
often a far easier to read brand.