first show advice

[sporder]

hello. i have entered my local show which is in 3 weeks time and have decided to show 2 bulls. one 3 yo and the other 21 mo. i entered them as an advert for my small herd mainly but obviously want them to look their best. here are my concerns.
*how /what do you feed them to to gain condition and not fat ( eg belly like a barrel) they get just under half a bucket of beef grower nuts twice a day plus grass.
*they both have minimal hair and shinney coats so cant train the hair. why do you brush hair upwards.
*washed them a couple of times and tried a coat shine spray but they are now getting flakie/dandruff along back. brush most days but still there.
any advice on making them look their best would be helpfull. below are pic of the bulls so you can advise. thanks

 

[sim.-ang.king]

hello. i have entered my local show which is in 3 weeks time and have decided to show 2 bulls. one 3 yo and the other 21 mo. i entered them as an advert for my small herd mainly but obviously want them to look their best. here are my concerns.
*how /what do you feed them to to gain condition and not fat ( eg belly like a barrel) they get just under half a bucket of beef grower nuts twice a day plus grass. first condition and fat are the same thing, but a pot belly usely comes from ruffage, or over eating grain which, they don't look like they have pot belly . If you want more fat your going to have to mix in some ground corn with your beef grower( they should have a mix on the bag), or mix in either soybean oil, rice bran, or cottonseed meal.
*they both have minimal hair and shinney coats so cant train the hair. why do you brush hair upwards. brush the hair up is for breeds that have long fine hair like Maines, Sim., or Short horns. If you want to grow some hair on them there is lots of info in other post on growing hair, but herefords are hard to get to grow hair
*washed them a couple of times and tried a coat shine spray but they are now getting flakie/dandruff along back. brush most days but still there. put some oil on them like Pink oil, or Final bloom, and use a real good soap like clear choice that won't dry them out as bad
any advice on making them look their best would be helpfull. below are pic of the bulls so you can advise. thanks

Good Luck!

 

[sporder]

thank you for your advice. as i am in the uk will the same products feed mix be avaliable. i ve not come across soybean oil , rice bran or cottonseed. how often should oil/soap be applied.

 

[showing71]

*how /what do you feed them to to gain condition and not fat ( eg belly like a barrel) they get just under half a bucket of beef grower nuts twice a day plus grass.

We feed our show breeding animals (bulls, heifers, and cows) lots and lots of beet pulp, and add barley and top dress the feed with soybean oil. This is in addition to the pre-mixed bagged show feed. We've found it gives them the "appearance" of being in the show fat condition without filling out the brisket and getting fat deposits at the tail head.

*they both have minimal hair and shinney coats so cant train the hair. why do you brush hair upwards.

Brushing the hair forward gives the hair its "pop" especially in the breeds than can grow huge amounts of hair. Even though the breeds I show (Red Angus, Angus) don't have the hair of a Shorthorn, I always train the hair to go forward and up. Even the little pop of hair helps give the illusion that the animal is smoother made than it really is.

*washed them a couple of times and tried a coat shine spray but they are now getting flakie/dandruff along back. brush most days but still there.

I mix vinegar in with my daily conditioning spray to help with dandruff. I can't tell you the chemistry behind it, but it does help to keep dandruff to a minimum. As far as using soap on them, I only soap them once a week. Any more than that can strip the natural oils.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

thank you for your advice. as i am in the uk will the same products feed mix be avaliable. i ve not come across soybean oil , rice bran or cottonseed. how often should oil/soap be applied.

Yea those are probably hard to find in the UK. :lol2:
Go to your feed store and see what they say about adding fat with feed stuffs you have in your area.
If your not washing every day and just 1 or 2 times a week, then use the good soap, and a lite coat of mineral oil every time you wash.

and just a lite coat of oil after the wash, you don't have to drowned them. ;-)

 

[leigh12354]

Nice looking bulls! The beet pulp will put some weight on them. Good luck at the show.

 

[cowlick88]

Alternating soaps can also help so that the same oils aren't taken away each time. Sometimes even using shampoo or conditioner meant for humans can restore some moisture and or oil to their coat. I don't suggest it very often because it can get quite expensive.

 

[KNERSIE]

Better yet, don't wash them so often. I wash 2 days before a show and again the day before the show, on showday I just wash the dirty parts.

 

[leigh12354]

Shows in a few days Sporder. Are you ready for a great showing? Please post the results.

 

[leigh12354]

Well Sporder, hope the show went well, did you try any beet pulp? Hope you got some ribbons!

 

[new_to_the_show]

We feed our show breeding animals (bulls, heifers, and cows) lots and lots of beet pulp, and add barley and top dress the feed with soybean oil. This is in addition to the pre-mixed bagged show feed. We've found it gives them the "appearance" of being in the show fat condition without filling out the brisket and getting fat deposits at the tail head.

I am new to this all, how much beet pulp, barley, and soybean oil do you feed to a young calf? yearling heifer? or yearling bull?
Thanks!

 

[showing71]

We feed our show breeding animals (bulls, heifers, and cows) lots and lots of beet pulp, and add barley and top dress the feed with soybean oil. This is in addition to the pre-mixed bagged show feed. We've found it gives them the "appearance" of being in the show fat condition without filling out the brisket and getting fat deposits at the tail head.

I am new to this all, how much beet pulp, barley, and soybean oil do you feed to a young calf? yearling heifer? or yearling bull?
Thanks!

Honestly, the beet pulp, barley, and soybean oil is all customized to the animal. When feeding the beet pulp, we use a feed scoop and give them 1 scoop if they are at the right condition, they get 1.5 - 2 scoops if they need to fill out yet, less if they're getting fat. The typically for soybean oil, we put 1 oz. on the feed - .5 morning and .5 at night. Again, if the animal looks like they need more fat covering, they get a little more oil (1.5-2 oz.). We study the animals every day and adjust the intake depending on if they look like they need more fill or not.

 

[leigh12354]

I had no idea that you should customize the beet pulp and such to the animal. That's good information. I'll let my friends know who are raising a couple of calves.