Show Steer Tips

[brahma_show_girl]

I haven't been on here in awhile.
I got my show steer today. He is a Heat Wave son that was born in the last part of Sept. I plan on taking him to Fort Worth. This is my second year with a steer and my first major haired steer. I have alot of questions because I have a good calf this year and I don't want to mess him up.

1. Supplements
There are alot of different supplements you can feed. I feed HiPro feed and I was wondering if yall suggest any supplments like Oxygen, Magic, Oxy Explosion, Shag, ect....

2. Combing
Do I comb his hair up or forward?

3. Rinsing
How often and do I blow dry him once or twice a day?

4. Conditioning
Is there any spray or anything i need to use daily. Like Revive or anything like that?

I will post pictures as soon as I get some. I have already haltered him, rinsed him, and dryed him. Any tps will be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

I'm a fan of combing forward. Ultimately it depends. If he needs length, comb forward. If he needs depth comb up.

And I wouldn't wash him every day. You'll strip his hair of all the natural oils.

 

[Anonymous]

You can rinse and blow daily. Pull the legs up. Klean sheen is a good daily spray, brush, and blow in.

 

[grand chaser09]

I haven't been on here in awhile.
I got my show steer today. He is a Heat Wave son that was born in the last part of Sept. I plan on taking him to Fort Worth. This is my second year with a steer and my first major haired steer. I have alot of questions because I have a good calf this year and I don't want to mess him up.

1. Supplements
There are alot of different supplements you can feed. I feed HiPro feed and I was wondering if yall suggest any supplments like Oxygen, Magic, Oxy Explosion, Shag, ect....
i don't really use any but if he doesn't eat then try oxygen or something. and that shag stuff will put the hair on.

2. Combing
Do I comb his hair up or forward?
get a rice root brush and brush it all forward towards the head. on the legs it all goes up at a 45 degree angle towards the head. use your rice root on this too. the rice root will help stimulate hair growth.

3. Rinsing
How often and do I blow dry him once or twice a day?
i rinse/wash 3 times a week and blow out once a day normaly in the afternoon before i feed. as far as stripping his hair of natural oils and stuff use EZ All it's all natural and doesn't strip the hair of all of the natural oils and such.

4. Conditioning
Is there any spray or anything i need to use daily. Like Revive or anything like that?
you can use that BUT if he doesn't have skin problems don't. i don't use revive anymore its too heavy. try freshen up[its for lambs] and if you get dandruff put pink oil or final bloom on it.

I will post pictures as soon as I get some. I have already haltered him, rinsed him, and dryed him. Any tps will be appreciated.
Thanks!

make sure to tie him up with his head up for at least and hour every day. i tie from and hour to 3 hours. anything else just PM me!! i've been doing it for 10 years now.

 

[VCC]

This is how our son does it:

New calf: After school, rinse once a day, blow out fully, always blowing forward or forward at a 45% angle (depends on animal) comb in Kleen Sheen. Tie with head up for an hour, before kicking him out in the run, make the animal set up.

Every other day he pours on a "leave in conditioner" prior to blowing out. Take a 5 gallon bucket, put a quarter sized dollop of cream rinse in the bucket fill with water, dip tail in the bucket then pour bucket and calf from tail to head.

Wash with soap once a week, all other steps the same.

120 days out from final show, kick calf out for 30 days to shed, pull dead hair out daily, (this years calf just stands there so he works him it out in the pasture without a halter)

90 days from fair, son gets up at 5:30; calf is rinsed and blown in the morning, tail head and legs are sprayed with revive, revive is roto-brushed in (at a 45% angle on legs) Sheen is combed in. Calf is tied so he can stand and lay down, fed. He is in a covered, shaded area (sun is blocked out) with 2 turbo fans blowing. (Fans are placed behind him) if it gets over 85F we will turn on the swamp cooler, it gets over 90F we will turn on the misters.

When son gets home from school he gets calf up, ties his head up, cleans stall, blows calf out, after an hour he rinses and blows calf out, sprays in Sheen, repeats revive on tail head and legs, ties back up for an hour w/fans. At dusk he combs hair forward, takes calf out sets him up, and then kicks him out in the run and feeds.

He will use a cream rinse and vinegar rinse each day in the after noon, we have hard water. Quarter sized dollop of cream rinse, a half cup of vinegar. Dip tail in, pour over animal.

He washes with soap once a week, usually on Saturdays.

My son shows at a few jackpots but this is his fair project, and before you all think than this is allot of work for a County Fair animal, we have several families that bring 5K to 10K animals to the fair, So he puts in the work so he can compete.

If you do not blow the water out, calves can get some nasty cowlicks going, when it is warm you can leave the water on the belly as long as you have fans on them.

There are allot of ways to do it< this works for us, plus the calves are real used to being handled this way.

 

[brahma_show_girl]

Thanks for all the info, ecspecially you VCC. I have had him two days and I have been rinsing in the morning and at night and blowing him out both forward. I haven't been using any hair products or anything yet. I have been tying him up for about 45 minutes to start out with. I have an industrial fan and I am building a stand for it. I am very hopeful that I won't mess him up. What about the supplements? I am posting pictures soon. I just got a new calf that I am picking up next week.

 

[VCC]

There are a ton of top dresses you can feed each has a promoted purpose, but can get real expensive, most of the time a good show feed is all they need. As the steer get near the fat stage you can determine if he needs more protein, fat, or slowed down or held, there are top dresses or fillers that will help with this, as he gets bigger just check back in and I am sure someone can point you in the right direction.
If the calf is sound, has a good apatite and is consuming the needed daily ration he should be fine. Make sure to worm on a regular basis, rotate between pastes and pour-on.

We have 90 days left, so the calf gets 20 pounds of feed with 1 pound of Calf-Manna, 3 pounds of beat-pulp, oat, almond hulls mix.

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

Why waste your time feeding oxy when its main ingrediant is wheat germ. Buy yourself a gallon at Olsen's. Showbloom in my opinion is the best additive on the market. It contains the essential yeasts needed to keep a calf on feed. I used it for 10 years and it worked great. Might want to look at switching from Hi-Pro to Acco. It is by far the most consistent feed in the area. I have fed everything and never had a problem with a calf not wanting to eat Acco.

 

[brahma_show_girl]

Okay is there any suggestion on any supplements to help with structure or movement. My white calf out of Alias I have just noticed had a hitch in his step. His back pastern on his left leg pops and it looks like it is kinda hanging. Is there anything I can feed to help that. Could it have been becuase he got hurt. I'm worried my Extension agent pointed it out and said she would call some of the people she knew to see what they said. I figured I would ask all of you.

 

[VCC]

I would really watch to see if it gets better, if you do not see any improvement soon there is a good chance it will not get better and may get worse as he gets heavier.
There are several supplements you can feed that can help but they do not always work.