Hereford Heifer

[Beth14]

I am new to this and just purchased my first hereford heifer and was looking for tips, suggestions or techniques on how to work the hereford hair to get it straight and to pop. Also she is a April 2013 heifer and is still horned. I was wondering if I should show her horned or get her dehorned? Should I be feeding her any supplements? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thanks

 

[obie105]

Get her dehorned. Surgical is the better option usually and it's better to do before the flies are out. When I first start working hair on a Hereford I comb strait down then strait forward if it wants to curl I comb it strait down again before going forward. It may work in a few days or could take longer. Then start slowly working on bringing it upwards but not until its trained to go forward without problems. We always feed sure champ but other than that we don't feed any supplements. If you search on here there are a couple of posts about Hereford hair with some good info. Have fun with her.

 

[Dozer45]

OH the toil of training curly hair O0

Like what was said above we use a rice root brush and work it all down first to get the kinks out then comb up or at an angle. Invest in some wave tamer from sullivans for the really tough spots. Use to train and on show day. Another thing helps a lot is a leave in conditioner type stuff you can find in the ethnic hair care product section at walmart called Olive Oil. Great for the skin and hair and helps soften the coarse hair. Mix it with a clean sheen or spray on conditioner of your choice.

I showed a heifer with horns one time it didnt seem to hurt her in the ring but watch out if you keep them because she could rip a horn cap off at a show and then you go into the show ring looking like a gore fest!

Feel free to PM if you ever have Hereford questions 

 

[simba]

Welcome to the Hereford breed! I definitely agree that she should be surgically dehorned-the sooner the better. The above posts have some great info, follow those techniques and use the search tool to find more good information on this site. A rice root brush is your best friend. Wear it out, then buy another one and wear it out again. You can also use a plastic wash brush in combination with the rice root brush. Those plastic brushes work wonders on some hair coats. It will be easiest to train the hair when it's wet, so rinse your heifer as much as possible. The one thing I always tell people not to do is let the hair dry with curls or waves in it; you should always dry it the way you want it to look in the showring. As mentioned above there are many good products to use in the hair to straighten it. I've had the best luck with Luster's Pink Sheen Spray/Weaver's Pro Pink (they're the same thing). Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!