paintball marking gun

[Hippie Rancher]

been thinking about this for ages and may have even asked long ago but anybody use a paintball gun to mark animals? we have too many solid blacks and reds these days. a few are of a different brand than the ranch brand. takes me a while to pair things when they are penned but when working and they are sorted I can't tell the calves for anything. I always thought it sure would be handy to mark those few that need a different brand on them. I see in the vet catalog a gun for well over $200. I also see around on the internets prices from $30 to 1000. the $30 gun is probably not what I want, but I also don't want to spend more than $100 for something that will get used a couple times per year.

anybody have a brand/model in the $100 range. tips or tricks appreciated too. I think I read somewhere (maybe a forestry catalog?) that there are also paint balls that have longer lasting paint in them - good for rainy times (not that we get many of those LOL)

 

[Warren Allison]

been thinking about this for ages and may have even asked long ago but anybody use a paintball gun to mark animals? we have too many solid blacks and reds these days. a few are of a different brand than the ranch brand. takes me a while to pair things when they are penned but when working and they are sorted I can't tell the calves for anything. I always thought it sure would be handy to mark those few that need a different brand on them. I see in the vet catalog a gun for well over $200. I also see around on the internets prices from $30 to 1000. the $30 gun is probably not what I want, but I also don't want to spend more than $100 for something that will get used a couple times per year.

anybody have a brand/model in the $100 range. tips or tricks appreciated too. I think I read somewhere (maybe a forestry catalog?) that there are also paint balls that have longer lasting paint in them - good for rainy times (not that we get many of those LOL)

Walmart paint gun would work fine.

 

[chaded]

I paintballed a few times in junior high and the Tippmann 98 was the basic standard.

 

[Oklahoma_47]

Honestly, two things bear mentioning here - the first one is that the VetGun aint for that, they've got it worked to where the fly control, etc balls and the CO2 tubes are proprietary sizes - or at least oddball sizes - and don't just swap out with the paintball supplies at the local Wal Mart, etc. But... you should definitely get one. I made fun of em for like 4 years, finally read an academic research paper on efficacy of control products and applications, and damn if they aren't getting the same results with a ball or two at the Chuck and Round (basically you are trying to approximate a drench, so as close as you can drop em in to the spine/topline the better. They have two types of applications available so you can cycle one on one off each year, or follow the more modern vet protocol of hittin em with both each time.
I can vouch for the results. At 4 or so in the afternoon here in NE Oklahoma, its usually hot as hell's parking lot and the face flies are an almost visible little cloud a foot or so above the cattle bunch at 15 or 20 yards. Take a couple of beers out in the Can Am, pop open the windshield, and hit every animal you can. You'll get most of em in the first 20 shots on a group of 30-40, after that your ratio of "treated" to "untreated" individuals is no longer in your favor, so tag a couple more and get back to ranchin - or if you are a perfectionist like me... crack that first beer, get comfortable, and snipe at the remaining unmarked bulls until you are certain each one has been treated, or you need to run back to the fridge.
As far as the dart gun, I use a Cap Chur 1300 CO2 mid length for doctoring in the pasture or if I just need to worm a group of a dozen or less and it aint worth the time or stress to gather em up and squeeze em. Once one has been treated it gets a dye mark...
I'm basically just ranching out of the Truck or the Side by Side at this point!!

 

[sstterry]

Honestly, two things bear mentioning here - the first one is that the VetGun aint for that, they've got it worked to where the fly control, etc balls and the CO2 tubes are proprietary sizes - or at least oddball sizes - and don't just swap out with the paintball supplies at the local Wal Mart, etc. But... you should definitely get one. I made fun of em for like 4 years, finally read an academic research paper on efficacy of control products and applications, and damn if they aren't getting the same results with a ball or two at the Chuck and Round (basically you are trying to approximate a drench, so as close as you can drop em in to the spine/topline the better. They have two types of applications available so you can cycle one on one off each year, or follow the more modern vet protocol of hittin em with both each time.
I can vouch for the results. At 4 or so in the afternoon here in NE Oklahoma, its usually hot as hell's parking lot and the face flies are an almost visible little cloud a foot or so above the cattle bunch at 15 or 20 yards. Take a couple of beers out in the Can Am, pop open the windshield, and hit every animal you can. You'll get most of em in the first 20 shots on a group of 30-40, after that your ratio of "treated" to "untreated" individuals is no longer in your favor, so tag a couple more and get back to ranchin - or if you are a perfectionist like me... crack that first beer, get comfortable, and snipe at the remaining unmarked bulls until you are certain each one has been treated, or you need to run back to the fridge.
As far as the dart gun, I use a Cap Chur 1300 CO2 mid length for doctoring in the pasture or if I just need to worm a group of a dozen or less and it aint worth the time or stress to gather em up and squeeze em. Once one has been treated it gets a dye mark...
I'm basically just ranching out of the Truck or the Side by Side at this point!!

How are you getting the medication into the balls? Is there a place that sells preloaded balls with medication rather than paint?

 

[chaded]

How are you getting the medication into the balls? Is there a place that sells preloaded balls with medication rather than paint?

The capsules come from the same company as the gun. Everything is proprietary pretty much.

 

[Brute 23]

Paint balls hurt like a sob. I remember having whelps from them. I can't see that leading to positive interactions long term.

I have an applicator gun that comes with Cylence that spray probably 5 yds. This week I sprayed some cattle from my mule pro with it. I let the cattle pile around me and started spraying one by one. I probable got 70% like that. Then I put cubes down and got the rest.

Like any thing else, the more you do it the more they get use to it.

 

[Stonewall Joe]

Honestly, two things bear mentioning here - the first one is that the VetGun aint for that, they've got it worked to where the fly control, etc balls and the CO2 tubes are proprietary sizes - or at least oddball sizes - and don't just swap out with the paintball supplies at the local Wal Mart, etc. But... you should definitely get one. I made fun of em for like 4 years, finally read an academic research paper on efficacy of control products and applications, and damn if they aren't getting the same results with a ball or two at the Chuck and Round (basically you are trying to approximate a drench, so as close as you can drop em in to the spine/topline the better. They have two types of applications available so you can cycle one on one off each year, or follow the more modern vet protocol of hittin em with both each time.
I can vouch for the results. At 4 or so in the afternoon here in NE Oklahoma, its usually hot as hell's parking lot and the face flies are an almost visible little cloud a foot or so above the cattle bunch at 15 or 20 yards. Take a couple of beers out in the Can Am, pop open the windshield, and hit every animal you can. You'll get most of em in the first 20 shots on a group of 30-40, after that your ratio of "treated" to "untreated" individuals is no longer in your favor, so tag a couple more and get back to ranchin - or if you are a perfectionist like me... crack that first beer, get comfortable, and snipe at the remaining unmarked bulls until you are certain each one has been treated, or you need to run back to the fridge.
As far as the dart gun, I use a Cap Chur 1300 CO2 mid length for doctoring in the pasture or if I just need to worm a group of a dozen or less and it aint worth the time or stress to gather em up and squeeze em. Once one has been treated it gets a dye mark...
I'm basically just ranching out of the Truck or the Side by Side at this point!!

where are you buying the gun and balls?

 

[Buck Randall]

Paint balls hurt like a sob. I remember having whelps from them. I can't see that leading to positive interactions long term.

I don't normally point out spelling/autocorrect errors, but this one is just too good. I hope the paint balls gave you welts.

Definition of WHELP

any of the young of various carnivorous mammals and especially of the dog; a young boy or girl… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

 

[Rancher]

If you only need to mark a few use a sling shot 5 bucks everywhere. Practice first and you will find they work good to 20yrds. yrs ago before the paint ball thang I used to put paint in a balloon, have to get close to them tho. does not scare them like the gun thang

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

This reminds me of the Halloween night my friend and I sneaked out in the pasture with Super Soaker rifles and marked up Jarod's cattle with purple and green blotches. It was just non toxic poster paint.

 

[Stonewall Joe]

I don't normally point out spelling/autocorrect errors, but this one is just too good. I hope the paint balls gave you welts.

Definition of WHELP

any of the young of various carnivorous mammals and especially of the dog; a young boy or girl… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

I wondered how paint balls made you have puppies

 

[RDFF]

Paint balls hurt like a sob. I remember having whelps from them. I can't see that leading to positive interactions long term.

Yeah... I would expect that "paint balls" would have a hard time meeting BQA requirements. ..... Maybe.............. if you're a good enough shot to place 'em in that neck area every time?

Bruising to the muscle is going to be the concern.

 

[Brute 23]

Never heard the word welt. A knot was always a welp (spelt like it sounds). Still not going to use welt either... correct or not.

 

[50/50Farms]

I am of the personal opinion that I would not habitually shoot with a paintball gun anything I planned to work on foot.

 

[chaded]

I don't know what the velocity is at but it is no where near comparable to regular paintball guns, at least not the ones I used when I was a kid. The cattle barely flinch. Most of the time they don't even lift their head from the feed bunk in my experience.

 

[lavacarancher]

been thinking about this for ages and may have even asked long ago but anybody use a paintball gun to mark animals? we have too many solid blacks and reds these days. a few are of a different brand than the ranch brand. takes me a while to pair things when they are penned but when working and they are sorted I can't tell the calves for anything. I always thought it sure would be handy to mark those few that need a different brand on them. I see in the vet catalog a gun for well over $200. I also see around on the internets prices from $30 to 1000. the $30 gun is probably not what I want, but I also don't want to spend more than $100 for something that will get used a couple times per year.

anybody have a brand/model in the $100 range. tips or tricks appreciated too. I think I read somewhere (maybe a forestry catalog?) that there are also paint balls that have longer lasting paint in them - good for rainy times (not that we get many of those LOL)

Yes, I used a paint ball gun to mark cow/calf pairs when selling from the ranch. Works pretty good as long as it's not raining or a whole bunch in the pen at one time. The "paint" washes off pretty easily and the cattle rubbing against one another tends to smear the paint.

 

[dwilliams35]

I've got a paintball gun and a vetgun, the vetgun is WAYYYY less velocity. they just kinda flinch and give me a pissed off look. paintballs HURT. i've never shot them with one, but i can imagine it being detrimental to behavior..