Hello everyone, new to the show cattle business. I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on how to get that perfect hair? I see calves with amazing hair and it looks so much better and it looks easier to work with. So any advice or techniques would be great. I know the climate has a lot to do with it and I have hot summers and cold winters here in Nebraska. Thanks for your help!
How to get better hair?
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twistedhshowstock
Well-known member
While there are several post on here about this already, I will try and answer your question.
Yes climate has some to do with it as far as growing hair, because naturally they are going to grow more hair when it is cold and shed hair when it is warmer. However, climate doesnt have as much to do with health and workability of hair as does effort put into it. I tell people all the time, have said it here before, and many will disagree with me(though some will agree), as a fitter, I would rather have 1" of well maintained, healthy, workable hair than 4" of hair that never gets worked and isnt broke.
The key as I said before is work, work, work.
1)Your calf really needs to be rinsed a minimum of once if not twice daily, and even a 3rd time is good on those super hot days.
2)Only shampoo your calf about once a week, as shampoo can strip the natural oils causing dry, flakey skin and coarse, unmanageble hair.
3)After rinsing I take a rice root or plastic toothed wash brush and first brush all the hair down to get it all going the same direction. Then I take that same brush and brush all the hair forward using quick, short, firm strokes of the brush. This is as much about stimulating and massaging the hide as it is about training the hair to go the right direction. Some people skip the brush down part, but I find if I brush down first I am less likely to have tangles and wavey coats.
4) Once all the hair on the body is brushed forward I work the hair on the legs. The front legs I just brush straight up all the way around, the rear legs I split the leg in half on the side and brush the front half up and forward and back half up and back. Do this on both inside and outside of leg.
5)Like I said this is as much about massaging and stimulating the scalp as it is about getting the hair the right direction. So once the hair is going right direction keep brushing for a while to really stimulate that hide, but make sure that when you quit brushing that the hair is all laying the direction you want it to.
6) Blow the calf dry, blowing the same direction you brushed(forward) and straight up on the legs. Be sure you get the entire calf dry, feel around the brisket, belly, and flank as these areas are often left damp even though they look dry on the surface. If you turn one out wet and they go and lay down all the dirt, etc will stick to them and this works against you.
7) Once the calf is dry spray them with some type of conditioner(there are many types out there and lots of people make their own mixtures, that is really enough for an entire different post, but you want to use something like Kleen Sheen from Sullivans or one of the many equivilants)
REVIVE is good if you have dry flakey skin, but in my opinion it is really to heavy for a daily conditioner product.
8) Once the calf is sprayed with conditioner use a scotch comb or rice root to brush or comb the conditioner into the hair coat, brushing as before forward on the body and up on the legs, again remembering this is about stimulation as well.
9)Once the conditioner is brushed in then take your blower and blow the dampness out of the animal again.
Some people like to use an upward and forward motion when brushing and combing on the body, but I tend to brush more straight forward and then comb up on show day, I find that I get more pop to the hair when doing it this way.
If you find that you have a calf, like some herefords, that have a really heavy, curly coat that is really hard to break. Then you can try taking a 5 gallon bucket, put just enough white vinegar to cover bottom of bucket, and about the same amount of main and tail conditioner. Fill the rest of the way with water, mix it, and poor it right down the top line of the calf and let it drip for 5 or 10 minutes, then go back and follow the same brushing, blowing routine above. The conditioner is heavier and will soften the hair much, but I find when mixing like this I dont need to rinse it out. This is also a good mixture to use post shampooing as the vinegar will cut any soap you may not have gotten out.
I know this is a lot, but I think it explains it fairly well. Feel free to ask questions, that is what this sight is for. Just remember, everyone is always trying to develop shortcuts, but your only goin to get out of this what you put into it.
Yes climate has some to do with it as far as growing hair, because naturally they are going to grow more hair when it is cold and shed hair when it is warmer. However, climate doesnt have as much to do with health and workability of hair as does effort put into it. I tell people all the time, have said it here before, and many will disagree with me(though some will agree), as a fitter, I would rather have 1" of well maintained, healthy, workable hair than 4" of hair that never gets worked and isnt broke.
The key as I said before is work, work, work.
1)Your calf really needs to be rinsed a minimum of once if not twice daily, and even a 3rd time is good on those super hot days.
2)Only shampoo your calf about once a week, as shampoo can strip the natural oils causing dry, flakey skin and coarse, unmanageble hair.
3)After rinsing I take a rice root or plastic toothed wash brush and first brush all the hair down to get it all going the same direction. Then I take that same brush and brush all the hair forward using quick, short, firm strokes of the brush. This is as much about stimulating and massaging the hide as it is about training the hair to go the right direction. Some people skip the brush down part, but I find if I brush down first I am less likely to have tangles and wavey coats.
4) Once all the hair on the body is brushed forward I work the hair on the legs. The front legs I just brush straight up all the way around, the rear legs I split the leg in half on the side and brush the front half up and forward and back half up and back. Do this on both inside and outside of leg.
5)Like I said this is as much about massaging and stimulating the scalp as it is about getting the hair the right direction. So once the hair is going right direction keep brushing for a while to really stimulate that hide, but make sure that when you quit brushing that the hair is all laying the direction you want it to.
6) Blow the calf dry, blowing the same direction you brushed(forward) and straight up on the legs. Be sure you get the entire calf dry, feel around the brisket, belly, and flank as these areas are often left damp even though they look dry on the surface. If you turn one out wet and they go and lay down all the dirt, etc will stick to them and this works against you.
7) Once the calf is dry spray them with some type of conditioner(there are many types out there and lots of people make their own mixtures, that is really enough for an entire different post, but you want to use something like Kleen Sheen from Sullivans or one of the many equivilants)
REVIVE is good if you have dry flakey skin, but in my opinion it is really to heavy for a daily conditioner product.
8) Once the calf is sprayed with conditioner use a scotch comb or rice root to brush or comb the conditioner into the hair coat, brushing as before forward on the body and up on the legs, again remembering this is about stimulation as well.
9)Once the conditioner is brushed in then take your blower and blow the dampness out of the animal again.
Some people like to use an upward and forward motion when brushing and combing on the body, but I tend to brush more straight forward and then comb up on show day, I find that I get more pop to the hair when doing it this way.
If you find that you have a calf, like some herefords, that have a really heavy, curly coat that is really hard to break. Then you can try taking a 5 gallon bucket, put just enough white vinegar to cover bottom of bucket, and about the same amount of main and tail conditioner. Fill the rest of the way with water, mix it, and poor it right down the top line of the calf and let it drip for 5 or 10 minutes, then go back and follow the same brushing, blowing routine above. The conditioner is heavier and will soften the hair much, but I find when mixing like this I dont need to rinse it out. This is also a good mixture to use post shampooing as the vinegar will cut any soap you may not have gotten out.
I know this is a lot, but I think it explains it fairly well. Feel free to ask questions, that is what this sight is for. Just remember, everyone is always trying to develop shortcuts, but your only goin to get out of this what you put into it.
ShowCalves2010
Well-known member
yep definately
I would also add 2 things.
1) Dark, Dark, Dark. Keeping calves out of direct sun helps immensely. If you tie them up during the day either in a barn or cooler room, the darker the better.
2) Genetics...look for hairy ears as a calf. Not ALWAYS an indicator but it is pretty good. I also highly recommend calves sired by Eye Candy. His calves tend to have great hair.
Nothing beats hard work and elbow grease....
1) Dark, Dark, Dark. Keeping calves out of direct sun helps immensely. If you tie them up during the day either in a barn or cooler room, the darker the better.
2) Genetics...look for hairy ears as a calf. Not ALWAYS an indicator but it is pretty good. I also highly recommend calves sired by Eye Candy. His calves tend to have great hair.
Nothing beats hard work and elbow grease....
i really agree with iowabeef, keep them out of the sunlight. i get up early to feed them, then I lock them in the barn with fans on them all day. then let them out when its getting dark (after getting washed ond brushed). also, the sullivan's artic misters work great. your best bet is to put them on a water timer so that they dont run all day or you'll have a mess.
twistedhshowstock
Well-known member
I agree with all of you! I was just giving them the suggestions for good, workable hair. If you are trying to grow hair then it is an absolute must for them to have fans on them all day, be in the dark, and be kept cool, really none of that affects the quality of the hair as greatly as work work work, other than the sun will bleach one out. But if you are trying to grow hair the dark, fans, and cool is a must. But dont make the mistake of so many that simply because hair is growing it is good. To many people throw one in a cooler or under the misters and do nothing else until a week before show time and expect them to look like a million bucks...sorry folks it just dont happen like that.
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