Peel or not to peel??

[ATOZ]

We don't have a cooler :'( so we keep them tied up in darkness with fans and misters on them all day. What do most of you do with the winter hair, peel them or just comb the dead hair out? I have been told both ways and if you say to peel i want to do it this weekend. Thanks for any help and suggestions. Also our showing is from June - August.

 

[garybob]

Change your program toards slick-haired cattle that "peel" naturally.


That's my advice.

GB

 

[kanshow]

Same deal here... the dead hair is going to have to come out to make way for the new and better hair.   

Does the type of hair they have make a big difference in what method you'd use? 

 

[ba]

We soaked some today to get the crud out and used the torch.
Did a bull and heifer little over week ago.

 

[TJ]

If you wont have a cooler this summer, I'd go ahead & clip it.  However, I don't know what you mean by "peel", but I'd take it down no shorter than 1/2 inch long.  5/8 or 3/4 might be better, especially with a June Show coming up.  I'd leave all the leg hair & all the tail head hair alone.  Afterwards, if you still have nasty, dead hair, take a grill brick to the hair on a regularly basis to help remove it.  You wont have a ton of hair, but without a cooler, you probably wont have a ton of hair anyway.  Fans, rinsing & brushing will grow a decent amount of hair though.  But, if you brush, brush, brush & at least occasionally rinse & blow, you will have more hair than you think & it will be fresh, well trained hair.  FWIW, we clipped a steer that we raised, that won Grand Champion 4H Steer at our State Fair, with a Texas Cattle Comb in the Spring.  By August, he didn't have the longest hair at the show, but it was long enough, it was fresh & it popped like crazy.       

 

[ATOZ]

I thought that if we did clip it would be with flat heads going down leaving around 1/2 inch. Thanks for the help. And keep the ideas coming!

 

[red]

I used a scaper comb or a grill brick to remove the dead/old hairs. Took work but paid off in the long run.

Red

 

[Jill]

We do the grill brick, the new hair comes in and the old hair leaves and you never have a bald heifer.  We have never peeled them, but I know a lot of the Angus guys do.

 

[racekannon]

I am old school peel em.  I don't think they were too keen on it this morning 25 degrees and windy.  If I want it to snow all I have to do is get excited and start shearing.

 

[showgirl2010]

I would peel them the hair will definitly come back before your June show.  We clip ours tight 3 to 4 weeks before the show to get the crispy and brown ends off the hair.  I am sure you'll be fine.

Jamie