The history of the branding iron traces back for centuries and is deeply connected to the history of trading and commoditizing animals. The act of marking livestock with unique symbols to identify ownership can be traced all the way back to ancient Egypt, and has been continued through history and is still used widely today.

Branding traditions were brought from Europe during the colonization of the Americas and continued to spread outwards as the US expanded westward. Branding has continued to be used continuously in some form in the United States ever since.

The first livestock brands were created out of iron and were in the shape of a rod with a simple but unique symbol, which was then heated in a fire. Once the brand is red hot, it is pressed against the livestock or object being marked. Branding is a fantastic way to prevent livestock theft, and to be able to identify livestock that intermingle with others in an open or shared pasture.

Common types of brands in use today include:

• Fire-heated – The traditional method of heating an iron brand with fire is still in use today. Though they often take longer to produce than their more modern counterparts, fire-heated brands are used for a variety of things including wood, steak, leather, livestock, and plastics
• Electric – Electric brands work in a similar way to a toaster oven, in that they use an electric heating element to bring the brand up to temperature. Many different designs are available for various uses, and an electric brand’s temperature can be accurately controlled.
• Propane – As opposed to hot-iron branding, freeze branding uses an iron that has been chilled using dry ice or liquid nitrogen. Instead of scarring the animal to produce its mark, the freeze brand damages the cells that produce hair color in that area, causing the hair to grow in white.

At Domer’s, we’ve been closely working with the local cattle industry for years, and have been fabricating the finest brands in the Okeechobeed and South florida areas for a majority of the 91 years we’ve been in business. If you’re in need of a branding iron, look no further than Domer’s. Call us today at (863) 763-3417 or stop by during our business hours for your branding needs.