Dumb Questions

[1guy4girls]

I am a father who has never shown a calf before in his life.  However, my oldest daughter is showing a calf this coming March.

I have learned more in the last year than I ever thought I would.  I love it!!

I was able to purchase a blower for my daughter for a Christmas present. 

Just some background info....We have a Monopoly Cow on our small farm.  This calf is her 1st calf.  We are in Florida (heat) and it has long hair

So here are my dumb questions

1.  what kind of shampoo do I use to wash the calf?
2.  Do we wash it every day?
3.  Do we use conditioner?
4.  do we use shampoo every time we wash it?  Conditioner?
5.  should we just rinse it somedays?

Any help would be appreciated

 

[Chuck Wagon]

Congratulations and welcome to the Club!  Ask a question like this and you will get lots of answers but just do a search at the top for Daily Hair Care and that will provide alot of suggestions. 

Steer or Heifer?  Is your show a slick sheer or hair?  It's only the beginning of good things to spend your money on but good call on the blower, it's a must! 

Everybody does it different so you just have to find something that works for you, the animals and your setup.

After feeding in the evening, we walk them out tie them up rinse, blow and turn them out at night.  On weekends, we shampoo and condition.  You just need to get them in a routine.  If we're busy, then it's every other night.

 

[1guy4girls]

Thanks Mr Wagon

 

[Tallcool1]

Shampoo once a week with cheap dollar store shampoo.

Condition a couple times a week with cheap dollar store shampoo.

Rinse as often in between as you can, NOT TO EXCEED once a day. 

I would recommend that you get some of the hair off him.  You don't have to give him a show haircut, just knock off some of the long hair.

 

[Chuck Wagon]

Yes, you can get Tres semme shampoo on the cheap  at Dollar General and it rinses out better than most..

 

[vc]

Tallcool1, why not more than once a day?

The last three month we rinse twice, early morning and evening, as much to keep the hair trained as to try and grow hair.

1guy: we would use conditioner 2 times a week and wash once a week. We would take and pour about a 1.5 to 2 inch circle of conditioner in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket, fill the bucket. Dip the tail in the bucket and then pour down the back from neck to tail. Comb in in then blow out, we did not rinse it out. you will notice it takes about a 1/3 more time to blow them dry with the conditioner in the hair. Always work the hair up and forward at a 45* when you comb, brush or blow.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Tallcool1, why not more than once a day?

Because it dries them out and doesn't allow the natural oils enough time to get back into the hair.

A rice root on dry hair will accomplish the same result.

 

[vc]

I guess that is why we fed Rice Bran, worked Revive or Pink on them in the morning and Sheen on them in the evening.
Everyone has there own thought process on rinsing, what ever you do, be consistent, and get the dry all the way to get the hair to pop.

 

[Tallcool1]

I agree with VC in that everyone kind of has their own daily hair care regimen that works for them.

We used to rinse 2 sometimes 3 times a day, and always had really good hair on them.

It wasn't until we started rinsing LESS that we started putting winter hair on them in late summer and early fall. 

For me, I just kind of feel that any more than that is just overkill.  Growing hair doesn't HAVE to be as hard as we used to make it.

Jive Turkey is right as far as why we rinse less......it gives the natural oil time to work on keeping the hair healthy.

For what it is worth, we don't put anything on their hair either.  No sheen, no revive, no oil...while we are trying to grow hair.  The less crap that gets on their skin, the cooler they will stay.  Once their hair gets longer, we will put oil on them just so that we can get a comb through it.  I like the olive oil that we can get at WalMart.  It is cheap and really light.