Calming calves?

[tom4018]

We where at a show yesterday and heard some people talking about giving calves something to calm them down. I have heard of Calf Calm but they also mentioned something they get from the vet. Is this common for people that show to use this? Is it fair?

Just wanted the opinions of others.

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

You can get melatonin at Wal-Mart. Start the day before the show adding 10 pills to each feeding. It works great.

 

[Colorado2008]

You can get melatonin at Wal-Mart. Start the day before the show adding 10 pills to each feeding. It works great.

I agree w/ cowboy...but I would start sooner, like a week or so before the show.

 

[TheBullLady]

There is also a vet prescribed drug that a lot of people use. Is it legal? Probably not, but since when has that stopped anyone?

 

[Moocow11]

it is called ace

 

[FlaAngus]

ace is illegal in most shows now but you can get thorazine. I would advise against it because about 1/2 of the calves will become hyper, believe me, i know. Bad odds huh?

 

[iowahawkeyes]

ace is illegal in most shows now but you can get thorazine. I would advise against it because about 1/2 of the calves will become hyper, believe me, i know. Bad odds huh?

Thorazine is impossible to get besides being highly illegal.
Get a calf that's tame or if you already have one, take it for a few rides in the trailer

 

[Bez>]

Why is it that people are so enamoured with winning that they are willing to do almost anything?

Is the ribbon and the prize money everything?

What ever happened to actually working with an animal and through that effort making it somethingto be proud of?

Bez>

 

[holly heifer]

:clap: Could not have said it better myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tom4018]

Why is it that people are so enamoured with winning that they are willing to do almost anything?

Is the ribbon and the prize money everything?

What ever happened to actually working with an animal and through that effort making it somethingto be proud of?

Bez>

The reason I asked is because some other people were talking about it at a show this weekend. Got me to wondering if they were using it on the heifers they had there. I told my daughter at least she knew she competed fair and square.

She even mentioned that the others kid's parents lead the heifers to and from the ring, kids only handled them in the ring. Granted I did help my daughter some but she does the majority of the work herself.

 

[FlaAngus]

thats the way it should be.

it always burns me up when i see someone who has done absolutely no work themselves and then win a show.

our county show usually has about 20-20 steers and 30-40 heifers and it amazes me to see a calf that was bought for half-again the price of what they could possibly bring, just to win.

 

[Misty]

Why is it that people are so enamoured with winning that they are willing to do almost anything?

Is the ribbon and the prize money everything?

What ever happened to actually working with an animal and through that effort making it somethingto be proud of?

Bez>

Bez...we won't do anything to win. We just are not showing the heifer my daughter has to hopefully keep someone from getting hurt. But....sometimes you have one that just won't be calmed down. The more you work the worse it gets.
In answer to your question, and not that this right by no means, but...the kids put an astonishing amount of money into these calves. Cooler rooms that are 4-5K, equipment runs from $200 and up, plus some pay outlandish prices for their calves. 50k and up for some. It isn't good unless it cost a lot of money.
But work work work can get you many places.
You are right.

 

[iowahawkeyes]

She even mentioned that the others kid's parents lead the heifers to and from the ring, kids only handled them in the ring. Granted I did help my daughter some but she does the majority of the work herself.[/quote]

We help bring the calves to the ring for two reasons. First, the kids are young and their arms get tired from holding them the whole time. Second and most importantly, at most county fairs half the cattle there are not broke! It is a safety issue.

 

[karlie45]

Why is it that people are so enamoured with winning that they are willing to do almost anything?

Is the ribbon and the prize money everything?

What ever happened to actually working with an animal and through that effort making it somethingto be proud of?

Bez>

Very well said Bez>! If our calves are not trained enought to go to a show, they dont go. We will not pump our calves full of drugs just to win a prize.

but...the kids put an astonishing amount of money into these calves. Cooler rooms that are 4-5K, equipment runs from $200 and up, plus some pay outlandish prices for their calves. 50k and up for some. It isn't good unless it cost a lot of money.
You are right.

Kids put out the cash? What kid (8-18 year old) do you know that can fork out 50k a year for a calf and 6k for equipment and a cooler room? Im pretty sure that it is the parents that are spending the money. And if they are so uncontrollable that you have to get the calves 'drunk' in order for the kid to handle it, something is wrong here. A little more work on the showmans part would solve this problem. Just 30 minutes at halter a day, and you dont have to worry about breaking any rules. And as long as you start the calves young, I have never met a calf that is unbreakable. You just need patience and HARD WORK. A little persistance goes a long way.

We help bring the calves to the ring for two reasons. First, the kids are young and their arms get tired from holding them the whole time. Second and most importantly, at most county fairs half the cattle there are not broke! It is a safety issue.

I understand bringing the calf to the arena for a younger child, but I have a problem with kids my age (14-18 ) not touching their calves untill they are 3 feet from the ring. What really made me mad, was at a show a few years ago. A girl that was a couple years older than me had a heifer. Her 'brother' took care of the heifer, led the heifer, fit the heifer, everything. Then, he hands her the halter 2 feet from the show ring. He then proceded to tell her how to show this heifer from the outside of the ring. Telling her when to stop, set up, move what foot where, circle, everything. This girl was at least 16 years old. She should be able to do all of this on her own. She ended up winning the sup. champ. heifer. THATS what makes me mad. No, im not jealus of this girl. I take pride in knowing that all of the clipping, fitting, and training for the calf is done by me, and when I enter the showring I know that the animal that is on the end of the halter is the result of my hard work.

ok. so this is the one thing that I can get fired up about, and I know that I went on and on and on about it. I apologize. Thanks for listening, I will put down the mega-phone now.

To answer the original posters questions. I 'think' that it is very common (people are sneaky, and you often times dont know who is doing what) and NO, its not fair. There are kids out there who bust their a-- every single day to get their calf ready to show, just to be beat by a drugged up 'calm' calf.

 

[tom4018]

Why is it that people are so enamoured with winning that they are willing to do almost anything?

Is the ribbon and the prize money everything?

What ever happened to actually working with an animal and through that effort making it somethingto be proud of?

Bez>

Very well said Bez>! If our calves are not trained enought to go to a show, they dont go. We will not pump our calves full of drugs just to win a prize.

but...the kids put an astonishing amount of money into these calves. Cooler rooms that are 4-5K, equipment runs from $200 and up, plus some pay outlandish prices for their calves. 50k and up for some. It isn't good unless it cost a lot of money.
You are right.

Kids put out the cash? What kid (8-18 year old) do you know that can fork out 50k a year for a calf and 6k for equipment and a cooler room? Im pretty sure that it is the parents that are spending the money. And if they are so uncontrollable that you have to get the calves 'drunk' in order for the kid to handle it, something is wrong here. A little more work on the showmans part would solve this problem. Just 30 minutes at halter a day, and you dont have to worry about breaking any rules. And as long as you start the calves young, I have never met a calf that is unbreakable. You just need patience and HARD WORK. A little persistance goes a long way.

We help bring the calves to the ring for two reasons. First, the kids are young and their arms get tired from holding them the whole time. Second and most importantly, at most county fairs half the cattle there are not broke! It is a safety issue.

I understand bringing the calf to the arena for a younger child, but I have a problem with kids my age (14-18 ) not touching their calves untill they are 3 feet from the ring. What really made me mad, was at a show a few years ago. A girl that was a couple years older than me had a heifer. Her 'brother' took care of the heifer, led the heifer, fit the heifer, everything. Then, he hands her the halter 2 feet from the show ring. He then proceded to tell her how to show this heifer from the outside of the ring. Telling her when to stop, set up, move what foot where, circle, everything. This girl was at least 16 years old. She should be able to do all of this on her own. She ended up winning the sup. champ. heifer. THATS what makes me mad. No, im not jealus of this girl. I take pride in knowing that all of the clipping, fitting, and training for the calf is done by me, and when I enter the showring I know that the animal that is on the end of the halter is the result of my hard work.

ok. so this is the one thing that I can get fired up about, and I know that I went on and on and on about it. I apologize. Thanks for listening, I will put down the mega-phone now.

To answer the original posters questions. I 'think' that it is very common (people are sneaky, and you often times dont know who is doing what) and NO, its not fair. There are kids out there who bust their a-- every single day to get their calf ready to show, just to be beat by a drugged up 'calm' calf.

My daughter is in your age range and felt the same way you do. She paid for her heifer with a bottle calf she raised and a calf from one of her cows. We seen a kid probably not 6 years old showing a 1400 lb. heifer and you know for sure they did not do it on their own. I thought the 4H/FFA shows were about the youth doing it.

 

[FlaAngus]

it is very common and the show should be about the youth doing it. We had a girl in our FFA Chapter who had spent about two hours a day each with her two steers, and they were as well behaved as could be until walking into the ring another steer kicked the one I was leading for her because they were in the same weight class. He went CRAZY!
I held on for about 20 yards and he wouldn't calm down so we shot him with 50cc of everclear. That had been before showmanship and all steers are required to compete in our show in the same classes that they show in later. It calmed him right down and I was able to show him for her.
Were we wrong :?:

 

[Misty]

"Kids put out the cash? What kid (8-18 year old) do you know that can fork out 50k a year for a calf and 6k for equipment and a cooler room? Im pretty sure that it is the parents that are spending the money. And if they are so uncontrollable that you have to get the calves 'drunk' in order for the kid to handle it, something is wrong here. A little more work on the showmans part would solve this problem. Just 30 minutes at halter a day, and you dont have to worry about breaking any rules. And as long as you start the calves young, I have never met a calf that is unbreakable. You just need patience and HARD WORK. A little persistance goes a long way. "I should have said family's parents or what ever....sorry.
You should meet our heifer that hates women. She gets worse and worse. No lie. My daughter would tie her and talk and brush her twice a day for an hour at a time. Patience and hard work don't always work.
Like people, some animals are just nuts. Patience and hard work have gotten me and my daughter pummelled by her heifer. Many many ranchers and show people have said, "sometimes it just happens." I am glad you have been so fortunate. But, like I said, our solution to the problem is not to show her. We won't get her drunk, or sedate her. She will just stay home.
She is just going to the cow pasture.
Good luck this year with your projects!!
Misty

 

[Victoria]

"Kids put out the cash? What kid (8-18 year old) do you know that can fork out 50k a year for a calf and 6k for equipment and a cooler room? Im pretty sure that it is the parents that are spending the money. And if they are so uncontrollable that you have to get the calves 'drunk' in order for the kid to handle it, something is wrong here. A little more work on the showmans part would solve this problem. Just 30 minutes at halter a day, and you dont have to worry about breaking any rules. And as long as you start the calves young, I have never met a calf that is unbreakable. You just need patience and HARD WORK. A little persistance goes a long way. "I should have said family's parents or what ever....sorry.
You should meet our heifer that hates women. She gets worse and worse. No lie. My daughter would tie her and talk and brush her twice a day for an hour at a time. Patience and hard work don't always work.
Like people, some animals are just nuts. Patience and hard work have gotten me and my daughter pummelled by her heifer. Many many ranchers and show people have said, "sometimes it just happens." I am glad you have been so fortunate. But, like I said, our solution to the problem is not to show her. We won't get her drunk, or sedate her. She will just stay home.
She is just going to the cow pasture.
Good luck this year with your projects!!
Misty

Just a suggestion, if she is nuts maybe she should go to the freezer. Why deal with a cow like that when her maternal instincts kick in and why keep those genetics?

 

[Victoria]

I never showed cows as a kid only ponies. I had one that was really quiet. He was big though 13 hands and I was seven and small for my age. I did all the work to get him to the show by myself (except hoof black, my sister did that because she didn't think I could, she was six years older and knew everything :lol: ). Any how most of the other kids at the show did very little, their parents did it all then the kid would show the animal. I remember one kid on a very expensive pony (her mom would brag about cost) that could only get on it two seconds before going in the ring and then had to get off as soon as she came out. Sometimes she would win, sometimes not but she never enjoyed herself. I was blessed with a good animal. We spent lots of time together and knew each other and we won lots of first place ribbons but that wasn't as important as the fun I had with that pony. I had more knowledge than the other girl and a better time.
Have kids changed that much? Wouldn't most kids just be happy with a good (no one wants something they can't be proud of) calf that has a good disposition that they can learn with and have fun?

 

[SHOWMOM]

OK, here goes the soapbox again...... Why would little kids show an animal that is so big they're worn out in no time. I think it's great for young ones to be involved but I don't know about actually showing until they're mature enough and strong enough to show that calf. Some judges take foooooooooooorevvvvvvvvver to judge a class, and I've seen some older, stronger kids worn out by the time they're done. But it all goes back to the kid working day in and day out with those calves. There is always, going to be someone you have to compete against that is going to break the rules, some people have a win at all costs attitude. So just do the best you can and have fun.....