HAIR HELP - LEG HAIR JUST WON'T STAND UP

[jersatx]

Good morning all.  Any help for us here would be appreciated.  We have a very structurally sound black Brangus calf that's eating like an elephant.  Great body, great structure, great disposition, great eater, jumps in and out of the trailer, just a great show calf.  Hair............that's another story.  While he has very thick and manageable hair on the sides, his leg hair is another story.  He's rinsed and conditioned daily, brushed twice a day, blown out each time, and this leg hair just sticks to his legs.  Is there a program, a recommended ritual, specific products, etc., that would help us get this leg hair up and softened in a month?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rf21970]

Rotobrush?

 

[frostback]

The biggest thing you are fighting just might be genetics. Neither breed is well known for hair. I would just keep doing what you are doing and hope. The roto brush is sure worth a try, a rubber scrub brush is what I like on legs also. Try to find some conditioner that will soften the hair as I bet it is hard and coarse. That may help.

 

[jersatx]

Frostback - You are correct, very hard and very, very course hair.  Each strand is very thick. I'll try that rotobrush though.

 

[frostback]

Might go and look for some human leave in conditioner without oil in it. Oil this time of year is not a good idea. Would just make them hotter.

 

[jersatx]

Here's a pick of him.  Criticism welcome. 

 

[Bradenh]

Is he brangus bred or is that just what you show him as?

That rotobrush should be the way to go

 

[jersatx]

He's brangus bred.  Just a brute of a big boy.  He's a stocky well built steer.  Honestly, we've only taken him to 3 shows and haven't put him in anything but Brangus.  Haven't even tried actually.  He's a good eater, quite a bit of hair (hair just won't cooperate, especially on legs), gentle as a puppy dog, leads anywhere, and jumps in and out of the trailer like he likes the ride.

 

[simba]

Maybe not a good idea if you're somewhere that's really hot, but Luster's Pink Sheen Spray and a plastic wash brush is what I use on hard to manage Hereford legs. It really softens the hair up and trains is quite well.

 

[jersatx]

Well we live in Tx where it's avg'ing 100 every day now. 

 

[paj315]

After we rinse and put in conditioner and before we dry we use a rice root brush and work leg hair while its still wet. brushing it forward on the front half and back on the back side just like you would if you were fitting for a show with adhesive. Then when we dry we use the blower to work the hair in the same direction. When they are dry we blow in a mixture of kleen sheen and sullivans hair liniment. The liniment makes the hair pop and stand out . Really works well on our herefords .

 

[chambero]

You are doing about everything you can till it cools off here.  A calf has to naturally be very hairy to have good hair this time of year.  Rotobrushes will help, but not that much till he maxes out what he will grow in the late fall.  I wouldn't spend so much time worrying about his legs as you do everything else.  That calf is made for a slick show anyway.

 

[jersatx]

Thanks.  We've tried the hair linament and used Mane & Tail conditioner.  Tried rinsing, conditioning, rinsing, rice root brushing, plastic bristle brushing, and blowing with and without heat.  Hair on legs, especially above hooves, just wont budge.  It's long but very very coarse and thick and lays down very hard.  Probably about the same thickness as the rice root bristles.  I've even thought of shaving him down tight and then working the regrowth.

 

[jersatx]

Thanks chambero.  I understand.  Just getting frustrating every time we go to one of these jackpots and end up getting pushed out by these fluffy exotics.  Kind of discouraging for the whole American breed.