Will Milk replacer Help My Steer Grow Hair

[Devan White]

I have a 1400LBS Monopoly Cross steer that had lots of hair coming into fall and winter but this spring he lost it all. I have been rinsing 2x a day and keeping him under fans but nothing seems to help. I don't want to spend a lot of money on show feeds because I only go to 2 small fairs. I have always heard milk replacer may help. If anyone has tried it how much should I top dress.

 

[simba]

I had heard that too. I've tried it before and didn't notice any significant results but I'm sure there are others that have had good results too.

I don't know where you are located but I live in Canada where we have a lot fewer hair growth supplements to choose from. I spent a lot of time doing research and found out that one of the main ingredients in most hair supplements is Kelp Meal. I found a website for Agri-Growth International Inc and checked out their Kelp products. The cost for a 50lb bag of animal grade kelp meal powder is $150 or so. You're supposed to feed a tablespoon/head per day and I've been feeding double that and have had really good results. The animals aren't crazy hairy but there is certainly a noticeable difference; last year at the Canadian Junior Hereford Bonanza a few people commented on how much hair my animals had compared to the others. It's worth checking out their website of you want a cheaper alternative to most other hair supplements. Good luck!

 

[Tallcool1]

Devan-

Larissa is giving you good advice.  I will help some with hair, but it will really help with heat stress.

I don't know when your fair is, but I would tell you to be patient.  Mother nature is on your side now.  The days are getting shorter now, and that is what really helps.  Just do what you have been doing, and remember...when he starts growing hair, it will come really fast.

 

[RyanChandler]

Anything high energy/fat (such as milk replacer) is going to increase their body temp and encourage hair loss this time of year.

 

[Devan White]

I live in Southern IL. My shows are in the August Time Frame. I will try the kelp meal to see if it works. He looks good without hair but he is loosing shape in his top line due to he is finishing out so I figured the hair would help with that. Our local feed guy was the one who told me about the milk replacer and I figured I would see if anyone else has had good or bad results with it. Thank You Guys for the advice!

 

[Tallcool1]

You know, I replied but really didn't answer you question.

The answer is yes, it will "help" with his hair, but not nearly as much as the other products out there.  Really what the Milk Replacer will do is improve the quality of his hair more than the quantity of his hair.  The other thing about milk replacer...it is really expensive by the time you do the math.  You have to feed a lot of it to really do much good.


Sorry that I ignored your question. 

 

[Devan White]

I got a 50 lbs bag for 20$. I have been feeding 16 oz for a week now and his hair has a bit more shine to it but I don't know if it was the milk replacer that did that. Me and my Dad have looked at other products but they want me to feed like a bag a week. @ Tallcool1 if you were going to try something that would help but not be to expensive what would you try

 

[Tallcool1]

Actually, Larissa should get credit for my answer.

The kelp meal is about the cheapest thing you will find.  Where you are located, it will cost about $50 for a 50# bag...which is enough to last about 400 days!!! 

Melatonin works really good as well, but it is probably a little late to get much good out of it.  I have done a LOT of Melatonin research.  There are only 2 ways that I have come up with to really get the FULL benefit of Melatonin.  You can buy the implants which will cost $75-$100 per month.  It is a system that gets the Melatonin directly into their body through a slow absorption method in their ear.

The other way is to buy pure Melatonin powder, and chemically break it down with a solvent.  There are a couple different solvents that work, but water and stomach acid are not two of them.  Ethynol is the easiest thing to use.  Ethynol, NOT Ethanol.  Basically, you break it down with Everclear grain alcohol.  It is really tricky to work with, and very unstable.  You can mix it up, and put it in the freezer for a maximum of 1 week.  After that, the alcohol basically kills the Melatonin.  Once you have the Melatonin is a form that the body can absorb, you just mix it in with their feed or I suppose you can squirt it in their mouth.  The mouth is the best body part to absorb Melatonin.  That is the reason that Melatonin drops made for human consumption recommend that you place the drops under your tongue. 

You can buy lots of liquid hair growth supplements designed for show cattle.  The melatonin in these supplements is either in a dry state, or dry powder that is suspended in a thick liquid.  It will still do some good, but not as much good as implants or a solvent solution.  Melatonin pills will even work...the kind you buy at a drug store.  They just don't work as well.  These methods require the steers body to dissolve the melatonin, and it is not the most efficient method.

Last year we used one of the hair growth supplements.  We gave it to 2 steers, and did not give it to 1.  The steer that didn't get it actually had better hair.  The reason he had better hair isn't because the supplement didn't work.  It is because we worked harder on him.  He was our best steer. 

This year we are using the melatonin powder that I described above.  In 3 weeks, we are seeing a significant difference.  I would say more of a difference than we expected.  The problem with making a claim that this is a wonder supplement is that this year has been unusually cool for us.  We have not seen many days above 90 degrees, and that means very cool nights.

If you are the type that really likes boring stuff, read this.

  https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/content/dam/sigma-aldrich/docs/Sigma/Product_Information_Sheet/2/m5250pis.pdf

 

[Barry Farms]

I had heard that too. I've tried it before and didn't notice any significant results but I'm sure there are others that have had good results too.

I don't know where you are located but I live in Canada where we have a lot fewer hair growth supplements to choose from. I spent a lot of time doing research and found out that one of the main ingredients in most hair supplements is Kelp Meal. I found a website for Agri-Growth International Inc and checked out their Kelp products. The cost for a 50lb bag of animal grade kelp meal powder is $150 or so. You're supposed to feed a tablespoon/head per day and I've been feeding double that and have had really good results. The animals aren't crazy hairy but there is certainly a noticeable difference; last year at the Canadian Junior Hereford Bonanza a few people commented on how much hair my animals had compared to the others. It's worth checking out their website of you want a cheaper alternative to most other hair supplements. Good luck!

Does the kelp specifically grow hair or does it lower body temp. all together?

This was a helpful post although it wasn't my thread (lol).

 

[Tallcool1]

I had heard that too. I've tried it before and didn't notice any significant results but I'm sure there are others that have had good results too.

I don't know where you are located but I live in Canada where we have a lot fewer hair growth supplements to choose from. I spent a lot of time doing research and found out that one of the main ingredients in most hair supplements is Kelp Meal. I found a website for Agri-Growth International Inc and checked out their Kelp products. The cost for a 50lb bag of animal grade kelp meal powder is $150 or so. You're supposed to feed a tablespoon/head per day and I've been feeding double that and have had really good results. The animals aren't crazy hairy but there is certainly a noticeable difference; last year at the Canadian Junior Hereford Bonanza a few people commented on how much hair my animals had compared to the others. It's worth checking out their website of you want a cheaper alternative to most other hair supplements. Good luck!

Does the kelp specifically grow hair or does it lower body temp. all together?

This was a helpful post although it wasn't my thread (lol).

It lowers body temperature, and "delays" the effect of heat stress. Basically, kelp meal will delay the environmental heat exposure by about 3 hours. So if the hottest part of the day is 2:00, it will take until 5:00 for cattle on kelp meal to respond to the heat in the same manner that cattle not on kelp meal are reacting.  They won't pant or hang their tongue out...etc.

 

[Devan White]

I went out and bought a bag of kelp meal to try and see if it will work. Thank You guys for all of your advice I really do appreciate it!

 

[Tallcool1]

Don't overfeed it, or it can cause one to go off feed.

2 oz/day for 10 days, then 1 1/2 oz/day thereafter. 

Free choice and excess feeding is fine for breeding or pasture cattle.  Not for a fat steer.

 

[Devan White]

I have been top dressing 1.5 oz with it and beet pulp. I will let you guys know how it works

 

[simba]

I think it smells horrible but they don't seem to mind. Glad that Tallcool1 could explain the way it works since I actually had no idea how it worked, I just know that it does. With regular rinsing (2-3 times a week) and fairly minimal daily hair training I've seen a noticeable difference in as little as a month, so you should hopefully see results quite quickly. Good luck!

 

[Barry Farms]

I had heard that too. I've tried it before and didn't notice any significant results but I'm sure there are others that have had good results too.

I don't know where you are located but I live in Canada where we have a lot fewer hair growth supplements to choose from. I spent a lot of time doing research and found out that one of the main ingredients in most hair supplements is Kelp Meal. I found a website for Agri-Growth International Inc and checked out their Kelp products. The cost for a 50lb bag of animal grade kelp meal powder is $150 or so. You're supposed to feed a tablespoon/head per day and I've been feeding double that and have had really good results. The animals aren't crazy hairy but there is certainly a noticeable difference; last year at the Canadian Junior Hereford Bonanza a few people commented on how much hair my animals had compared to the others. It's worth checking out their website of you want a cheaper alternative to most other hair supplements. Good luck!

Does the kelp specifically grow hair or does it lower body temp. all together?

This was a helpful post although it wasn't my thread (lol).

It lowers body temperature, and "delays" the effect of heat stress. Basically, kelp meal will delay the environmental heat exposure by about 3 hours. So if the hottest part of the day is 2:00, it will take until 5:00 for cattle on kelp meal to respond to the heat in the same manner that cattle not on kelp meal are reacting.  They won't pant or hang their tongue out...etc.

So IF it has cooled down by 5:00 will they react to heat at all, like if there was 2 hours of heat and it was back down to 75-80 by then (versus 90+)? Are they guaranteed to still have the heat reaction even if they are in a cooler enviornment by the time that their 'heat protection' wears off?

 

[Tallcool1]

I had heard that too. I've tried it before and didn't notice any significant results but I'm sure there are others that have had good results too.

I don't know where you are located but I live in Canada where we have a lot fewer hair growth supplements to choose from. I spent a lot of time doing research and found out that one of the main ingredients in most hair supplements is Kelp Meal. I found a website for Agri-Growth International Inc and checked out their Kelp products. The cost for a 50lb bag of animal grade kelp meal powder is $150 or so. You're supposed to feed a tablespoon/head per day and I've been feeding double that and have had really good results. The animals aren't crazy hairy but there is certainly a noticeable difference; last year at the Canadian Junior Hereford Bonanza a few people commented on how much hair my animals had compared to the others. It's worth checking out their website of you want a cheaper alternative to most other hair supplements. Good luck!

Does the kelp specifically grow hair or does it lower body temp. all together?

This was a helpful post although it wasn't my thread (lol).

It lowers body temperature, and "delays" the effect of heat stress. Basically, kelp meal will delay the environmental heat exposure by about 3 hours. So if the hottest part of the day is 2:00, it will take until 5:00 for cattle on kelp meal to respond to the heat in the same manner that cattle not on kelp meal are reacting.  They won't pant or hang their tongue out...etc.

So IF it has cooled down by 5:00 will they react to heat at all, like if there was 2 hours of heat and it was back down to 75-80 by then (versus 90+)? Are they guaranteed to still have the heat reaction even if they are in a cooler enviornment by the time that their 'heat protection' wears off?

Great question...same question I asked last year before we started feeding it. The answer is no, they will not react to the heat at all.  Once they are exposed to the extreme temperature for more than 2 1/2 or 3 hours, they will show the same signs of heat stress that cattle not eating the kelp meal.

Last year at our County and State Fair it was very hot. Cattle were "melting" all around us. Out cattle showed no signs of heat stress at all. No panting, or even labored breathing. I was amazed.

This is the active ingredient in Tasco and other wonder supplements. It's just way cheaper.

The other thing is that you need to feed North Atlantic Kelp Meal and it needs to be sun dried.