Everclear

Everclear can be a good solution and then like some have said on here it can make them mean just like it does humans and then it can also burn their stomache up. We tried a lil at home if a calf was real bad just to see how they reacted.
Good way to make them Alchoholics hahaha  (lol)And ace works better just depends on what state you are from. In Texas giving ace in the summer is ok its done alot. You can go to a large animal vet and they will give it just tell them what its for no big deal. Buy if you really want something that works and won't piss people off, Melatonin works wonders, every brain makes it so you can go to your handy wal mart and get it. works great for calming and works for hair too.

And you know on the subject of calming calves down. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the owner and how much or how little they work with their calves. Genetics and the enviroment they were born in have a lot to do. I've raise show cattle for a very long time and seen pretty much everything. i'm still learning but a calf that is crazy usually came from a crazy cow or possible was not treated well when it was in other hads. Cattle are very smart no matter what is said. They no waht they like and don't like.            There now i can get off my soap box.

Bunch of dam steer jocks. Anything to get a win or get um in the ring.If there that bad just use a little Ace.

cowhand-68 said:

Bunch of dam steer jocks. Anything to get a win or get um in the ring.If there that bad just use a little Ace.

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Ohh and Ace is so much better and ethical right?

Saying a calf that needs some kind of substance to show shouldn't be shown is absurd. A few years ago when me and my little sister were both showing together I did all the work. She was too little too and I enjoyed doing it. The last thing you can say about her calf was that it didn't get worked. It did. Every. Single. Day. And that calf got a little bit of Ace every time it went to the ring. I could handle it with out Ace, but I'm 6' and 220 lbs. The calf was just naturally a touch high strung and there is no way I would ever give it to a little kid without some Ace.

Now people are probably going to reply to this and say I should've shown that calf or we shouldn't have let her show it blah blah blah. Lets be real. If you have a good calf your going to show it.
There is a difference between a calf that isn't ready to show and needs to stay at home, and a calf that is just a little crazy and is always going to need a little help.

cowgirl864 said:

you tell them linnettejane, also the one thing that grates me is have a showmanship judge place a kid, who's calf is being a pain in the ring, higher than a child who's heifer is quiet, calm,& been worked with, because they worked so hard to keep it in control, thats my rant for the day

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Sorry but I disagree with this one. You can't control what goes on with the calf at a show. For all you know, that showmans calf could be coming i heat, feeling sick or anything else. If the showman still manages to pull to the top then so be it.

Here we go again. I read the OP question about 3 times, and never did I see he/she ask the question if you thought it was ethical to give Everclear or not. That's for them to decide in their circumstance. Not yours.

Now, from my experience. I mixed 75 cc of everclear with 1/2 gallon of cherry Kool Aid, and gave it through a drench gun for a fat steer. My 8 year old son was showing him. He wasn't bombed, just had a buzz, and it made him a little more hyper. I believe if I have to calm one down again, I will use melatonin from the drug store, and mix it in with the feed the day before and the day of the show.

Here we go again indeed. The foundation of what is wrong with the country in general, we are now an amoral society. Not an immoral one, but one that it's ok to do what ever you want. It's up to you what is right or wrong. No moral absolute. In fact there IS always a right and wrong.

I thought everclear was to deaden the tail, learn something new every day.  See you can teach an old dog new tricks, although I don't think I'll be getting one drunk to get into the ring there are too many tried and try help aids for that.

I learned that Everclear is used to deaden tails right before I saw the big name trader, who's name I won't mention for no good reason, was handcuffed and carted off in a Sheriff's car charged with animal abuse.

There is no problem in my mind with giving an animal ace or another pharmaceutical intended for animals for the safety of the children and the animal. The reality  is that many kids buy an animal, can't get it to behave, can't take it back to the person they bought it from and can't afford another one. Giving or injecting an animal with a substance not intended for animals with the intention of  altering it's physical or mental state  is a completely different scenario.

VERY well said an to the point GONEWEST -----   This isn't a perfect world ..........

I apologize GONEWEST for my comment, I didn't realize deadening a tail was animal abuse, just stating a fact, that is the only thing I have ever seen it used for.  I guess I have never seen anyone that gave one everclear to change behaviour, Ace and Thorazine work just fine why would you use something you have to guess what the outcome is going to be. 

Something totally off the subject you might give a try is a product called Focus, not a drug and can be legally fed to calm one down
here is the web site http://shobertsfeedsupplements.com/products/focus.html

cowgirl864 said:

you tell them linnettejane, also the one thing that grates me is have a showmanship judge place a kid, who's calf is being a pain in the ring, higher than a child who's heifer is quiet, calm,& been worked with, because they worked so hard to keep it in control, thats my rant for the day

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showmanship maybe...but we've had a heifer that was worked with and handled extensively EVERY DAY that could be a handful when she got tired of showing or had been in the ring for multiple drives (class, division, etc).  Daughter had put in the sweat equity and would come out of the ring beat and upset every time for exactly the reason you stated...she felt others would think she hadn't worked with her enough...when really it was just the heifer didn't always like to be shown and had a really pushy personality.  Cattle behavior in the ring does NOT always equate with lack of prior preparation or work on the exhibitors part.