Education
Goat Identification at Wild Haven Farm
Every goat at Wild Haven Farm carries permanent identification so they can be traced back to the farm, reunited with their owner if lost, and tracked for disease prevention. This page explains the identification systems we use and why they matter.
Microchip Technology
Each goat at Wild Haven Farm is implanted with a microchip — a tiny electronic device about the size of a grain of rice. The microchip is an ISO 11784/11785 compliant RFID transponder, which is the international standard for animal identification microchips.
The microchip is implanted subcutaneously (just under the skin), typically in the neck area. The procedure is quick, similar to a routine vaccination, and does not require anesthesia. Once implanted, the microchip stays in place for the life of the animal. It has no battery and no moving parts — it is activated only when a scanner passes over it.
Why Wild Haven Uses Microchips
Microchips provide permanent identification that cannot fall off, be removed, or become unreadable like ear tags sometimes can. If your goat ever gets loose or is found by someone else, the microchip links the animal directly back to you through the registration database.
How to Have the Chip Read
Any veterinarian or animal shelter can scan your goat's microchip using a universal microchip scanner. The scanner reads the unique identification number stored on the chip. This number is then looked up in a registration database to find the owner's contact information.
BuddyID Microchip Registration
Wild Haven Farm registers every goat's microchip with BuddyID, a microchip registration service for companion and livestock animals. BuddyID maintains a database that links each microchip number to the owner's contact information, so a lost animal can be returned to the right person.
How to Look Up Your Goat's Registration
You can look up your goat's microchip registration at any time by visiting the BuddyID website. If you need to update your contact information — for example, if you move to a new address or change your phone number — you can do so through BuddyID.
USDA Scrapie Program
What Is Scrapie?
Scrapie is a fatal degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system of sheep and goats. Animals with scrapie may show signs like intense itching, loss of coordination, weight loss, and behavioral changes. There is no treatment or cure, which is why prevention and tracking are so important.
Why the Program Exists
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) runs the National Scrapie Eradication Program to eliminate scrapie from the United States. The program requires that sheep and goats carry official identification so that animals can be traced if a case of scrapie is detected.
Wild Haven's Participation
Wild Haven Farm is a participant in the USDA National Scrapie Eradication Program. Every goat on the farm carries official identification that meets the program's requirements. When you adopt a goat from Wild Haven, your animal already has the proper identification in place.
Tag 840 Compliance
All goats at Wild Haven Farm carry a Tag 840 — an official USDA ear tag with an identification number that begins with the "840" country code prefix for the United States. Tag 840 is the standard for official animal identification under the federal Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) framework.
Why Tag 840 Matters
Disease Traceability
If a disease outbreak occurs, officials need to quickly trace which animals were in contact with infected animals. The Tag 840 number provides a unique, nationally recognized identifier that links your goat to its origin farm and movement history.
Interstate Movement
If you ever need to transport your goat across state lines, federal regulations require official identification. A Tag 840 ear tag satisfies this requirement, making interstate travel straightforward and legal.
USDA APHIS — Scrapie Recordkeeping and Official Identification (PDF) →
Learn More
- USDA APHIS — Scrapie Disease Information Official information about the National Scrapie Eradication Program, official identification requirements, and disease traceability for sheep and goats.
- BuddyID — Microchip Registration Look up your goat's microchip registration, update your contact information, and learn more about microchip identification.