Reindeer Calf Marking
The reindeer are collected together for calf marking around midsummer. This is when the newborn calves are marked.
“In the calf markings, the calves are marked with their owner’s earmark.”
Gathering reindeer for calf markings is easier in the midsummer, because the blood-sucking insects make reindeer gather together. These different smaller herds are gathered together by foot or ATVs, depending on the cooperative. In the reindeer husbandry area, the ways of herding differ from one another. They grow from the traditions and are adjusted to the surrounding environment. All work related to calf marking is usually done late in the evenings and at night, when the air is cooler. This minimizes the stress caused to reindeer.
Pictures; Calf marking in Sallivaara reindeer herding cooperative 5.-6.7.2014.
When reindeer have been gathered to a fence, the unmarked calves are caught by hand or by lasso. A plastic number tag is hung around their neck. The calves are freed to follow their mothers. The calves find their mothers with a voice they make and vice versa. When they have all found each other, the fence area goes quiet again. After this, herders start to slowly walk around the fence and write down which female each calf follows. The notes are compared and checked together. When all the owners are found, the calves are caught again and marked with their owner’s earmark. In some cooperatives, the herders catch the calves themselves and mark them.
After marking, reindeer are let back to the summer pasture areas.
The calf marking takes about 2–3 weeks, depending on the weather. During this time, the aim is to gather most of the reindeer to the fence. Calf marking is not done in all cooperatives. In this case the calves are marked either in the home fence where they were born or during the autumn round ups.
