Clipping yearling bull???

[kdhansen]

I have a 12mo bull that is going to our little county fair.  I am getting different opinions on whether to clip his head or not.  I had clipped his head about a month ago, and it sure does look long to me. Of course, from a distance it looks fine.  Are the bulls clipped different than the heifers?  This all started with a group of friends showing their "homegrowns" at our local fair and it's been 35+ years since I've shown cattle...THINGS HAVE CHANGED SO MUCH!!  Long story short...I now am told by a younger gal (who has shown quite a bit) that the bulls are being shown with longer head hair?  I've tried looking at some photos of young bulls that are being shown, but I still can't tell (they all look pretty "shaven" to me).  He doesn't have a whole lot of body hair, so I'm not sure what to do.  Any help would be deeply appreciated. Thanks, Kathy.

 

[farmboy]

shave his face. if hes polled, take it all off, if he has a box head shape, leave hair from his fore head up kinda

 

[afhm]

Always shave the head before a show. I disagree with Zach on shaving it all off. I leave a small top knot on all of them.

 

[Malinda]

Clip the head and the tail two weeks before the show. Letting it grow out over two weeks gives them a little more of a masculine look.

You know, that unshaven cowboy look!

Malinda

 

[kdhansen]

"Letting it grow out over two weeks gives them a little more of a masculine look."  I wonder if this is why she wanted me to leave it...the fair is this next weekend.  He definitely looks more masculine with the hair, definitely more 'Marlboro-man', instead of 'Politician-man'. We clipped the two little heifers and they look so "dressed"...just wanted him to look like he was ready to go to town, but I believe it would take away from masculine look.  Sigh......  Thanks, and I will try to get a closeup photo today.

 

[fluffer]

Clip his head, and we quit leaving the hair up on the poll a few years ago.  Could be the difference in the area you show in, but I would shave it all off.  A clean head looks better in my opinion.
Good luck
Fluffer

 

[kdhansen]

Clip his head, and we quit leaving the hair up on the poll a few years ago.  Could be the difference in the area you show in, but I would shave it all off.  A clean head looks better in my opinion.
Good luck
Fluffer

Here's a couple pics a friend took yesterday.  He was standing lower than the person taking the photos, so his belly REALLY looks saggy.  Is there any trick to getting them to look "tighter" (he does early when it's cooler, but it seems when it starts getting hot, he really hangs that belly!).  Would trimming off all the hair on his sheath help the look?  It's suppose to have our hottest weather this summer on the day we show (Pacific NW).  He doesn't have much hair...I pulled him in from the pasture in July and started him on grain, I have him up to 10lbs/day, and I've let him roam a 4 acre pasture at night, which seemed to help believe it or not.  He sure is an easy-keeper.  I think I'm starting to regret going, I know if I do it again I will start MONTHS ahead like one should, and do it right.  I keep telling myself  "This is a learning experience".  I so appreciate your help. Thanks.

 

[afhm]

Get him to drink ice water (or as cold as you can get him to drink) if possible unless it is not illegal to pump them then pump a bucket of ice water into him

 

[Bawndoh]

Taking the hair just off the sheath will help a bit.  When showing him keep his belly up with your showstick.  He looks in good condition, but is VERY tight made in the heart.  He would add some capacity to tight gutted cattle though.
What is his breeding?

 

[BCCC]

Get him to drink ice water (or as cold as you can get him to drink) if possible unless it is not illegal to pump them then pump a bucket of ice water into him

What does that help? Thanks

 

[shortyjock89]

Tightens his gut up.  Kinda like when you get goosebumps, only on the inside of the calf.

 

[kdhansen]

Taking the hair just off the sheath will help a bit.  When showing him keep his belly up with your showstick.  He looks in good condition, but is VERY tight made in the heart.  He would add some capacity to tight gutted cattle though.
What is his breeding?

He is by a Focus/Stockman365 bull, out of a Taylor Maximum(GT Maximum-bred)/Triple Threat cow...The cow/calf photo attached is his dam with a full sister beside her.  I see what you mean by him being tight in the heart...what are the drawbacks of one being built this way?  I know there are certain things I don't like and pretty much know the why...but this is a new one.  I've seen it mentioned on here before, but would like to know the downfalls of one being tight in the heart.  Tight-gutted was another term used on this forum, too...I can see the look, and figured it would take away from a cow's capacity???

 

[kdhansen]

Get him to drink ice water (or as cold as you can get him to drink) if possible unless it is not illegal to pump them then pump a bucket of ice water into him

I tried ice water to see if I could get him to drink it today...he wouldn't touch it until I took out the ice cubes that hadn't totally melted, but he drank almost the whole bucket.  I will give it a try at the show...I'm too chicken to do any pumping of water into him, my luck he'd drop over dead.  So is there a "timing" on when to give the ice water, or just do it all the time at the show?  I did try using my showstick...I think he's numb...I rubbed him, and poked him a little...nothing.  I ran the stick down his topline just to see if he'd drop his back and react...nope...numb.  He does like to be scratched with it, but doesn't stretch or do anything, just holds perfectly still. 

 

[Cattledog]

If the bull has a poll please do not shave it off!  I hate that look!  The point of clipping is make an animal look better.  When an animal is clipped well it looks natural and depending on the animal....cool.  I am not advocating leaving an afro on the poll but leave just enough that it stands by itself.  I usually clip the head and then take my andis to tighten up the poll.

 

[simtal]

we all cut the polls off males but leave it on heifers.  to be honest, nobody really looks at a calf's head too much and if they are they looking at the wrong part of the body.

 

[Bawndoh]

Taking the hair just off the sheath will help a bit.  When showing him keep his belly up with your showstick.  He looks in good condition, but is VERY tight made in the heart.  He would add some capacity to tight gutted cattle though.
What is his breeding?

He is by a Focus/Stockman365 bull, out of a Taylor Maximum(GT Maximum-bred)/Triple Threat cow...The cow/calf photo attached is his dam with a full sister beside her.  I see what you mean by him being tight in the heart...what are the drawbacks of one being built this way?  I know there are certain things I don't like and pretty much know the why...but this is a new one.  I've seen it mentioned on here before, but would like to know the downfalls of one being tight in the heart.  Tight-gutted was another term used on this forum, too...I can see the look, and figured it would take away from a cow's capacity???

I know that other people can help in giving you more answers but I will do my best.  A tight heart results in cattle almost ALWAYS being harder keepers.  They are weak from just behind their elbow, around the side behind the shoulders, and then on their topline behind the shoulder blades.  It results in a weaker topline and a "broken-topped" animal.  This means that their back is lower/higher in one or more area's and their back is not perfectly level.  Cattle that are very strong and well made in the heart area will have much more level toplines, and will yeild more "beef" as they can be quite a bit larger (in diameter) than an animal that is tight there.  Not to mention it is quite a bit easier to clip a strong-hearted animal than a weak because you do not have to hide the huge flaw!  Another thing is that it can make their shoulders look a lot coarser than they are, because the visual break is so decieving.  Knabe mentioned that a weak hearted animal is usually one who is straighter in the shoulder.  This results in all kinds of issues.  With a weak heart, you also get a weak flank.  They almost always work in correlation.  A weak flank is a very poor flaw in beef cattle.  A deep flanked animal will carry a lot of muscle and thickness into their stifle and down into their hock area.  We all know that a beef animal should carry as much beef as possible!  You will notise in the Limosine cattle, especially the older more typical style ones, that they are weak in the heart, flank, and from behind they do not carry a lot of muscle right down into their hock.  I am not bashin Limo cattle, just mentioning that this is a typical trait I see in them. 
Tight gutted to me, means their body is made like a tube.  Yes, it greatly takes away from their capacity.  They have no depth throughout (heart, belly, or flank).  They are usually very hard to feed and keep in good shape.  They are very undesirable in the beef industry, but apparently not in the club calf industry yet!  To me they are built like cats or dogs, and look like they are meant to be some type of racing animal.  (lol).  I am not sure why, but there are still quite a few cattle in North America who have this problem.
Just to brag a little for some of our board members....I havent seen a tight gutted lowline yet. <party>.

 

[garybob]

we all cut the polls off males but leave it on heifers.  to be honest, nobody really looks at a calf's head too much and if they are they looking at the wrong part of the body.

From an "all things considered" perspective, a masculine head with large feet & testicles is just as important as a wide chest floor, wide top, and thick hindquarter.

That's my 2 pennies' worth.

GB

 

[kdhansen]

First of all, I want to THANK everyone for all the info given...we left his head the way it was (he didn't have any hair on his poll anyways, so really didn't have to worry about cut/no cut there).  Did shave a bit off his sheath, seemed to help a bit.  Gave him ice water before the class (He drank almost a  whole bucket).  We were the first breed in Saturday morning, so I think that helped, too. He was quite uptight when we got to the fairgrounds, especially after I unloaded the heifers. I left him in the trailer, doors open, and let him settle while I got everything unloaded...helped immensely.  He actually acclimated very well. The young lady who was helping and going to show him this time, showed me how to get his belly up...(Apparently, I was more just "scratching" him!)...she just hooked his belly one time and he sucked it up and kept it up!  Looked 100% better.  Ended up winning his class, division and Grand Champion Angus bull (WOOHOO!) and had a great crowd rooting him on.  We were told this was the biggest (of the smaller fairs) Angus entries they've seen all year (25+head)..there were only 8 angus bulls total, but he managed to get over the one that has been winning all year.  Of course, in the All Breeds Class (Supreme Bull?)...he was dwarfed by the huge (but I have to say, "really nice", horned hereford), but it was so rewarding to have made it that far.  There had to be over 80 horned and polled Hereford, but only a couple Shorthorn, 50 Pinzgauers (apparently there is a breeder up here that is phenomenal at promoting this breed...I think that is an understatement); and a few more other breeds. The fair board said they had to turn entries away...the Beef Barn was overfilled...which was great as the whole fairgrounds was under a few feet of water last Fall/Winter in the flood up here.  All put back together with mostly donations of material and "hard work"...super community.  Have a person that is interested in buying the bull, be nice if it panned out, but I won't hold my breath.  But I do have a couple coming out to look at my heifers that were left at home, as I want to keep the two I showed for replacements, at this time.  One of them won her calf class, the other was second in her calf class and took Reserve Champion Heifer Calf.  I was on "Cloud Nine" all weekend.  Of course, I got razzed by the Hereford people (as that is what most of my friends show)...but it was all worth it.  I should have some pictures a friend took at the show...I will post them when I get them.  You all were such a help...Just by reading the comments on this forum, I, at least, could understand what most of the people were talking about at the show.  What a learning experience.  Next year is the 100th anniversary of our Fair...I will be starting a lot earlier with whomever I might take, and am planning on going to a couple of the bigger shows left this year(sans animals) to WATCH and LEARN.  I think I'm hooked!  Thanks again for ALL your help...Kathy.

 

[farmerboy317]

before taking him into the ring get him a bucket of warm water and get him to brink it it will help push the sides of him out to make him look square and boxy