Using a Soap Foamer?

[Southview Sweetheart]

Hi everyone,
Im contemplating buying a soap foamer for this show season. I usually just shampoo my heifers by hand but my 4-H youth leader brought his foamer to a show and let us use it on our cattle. I liked how it worked but I'm also religiously addicted to the way orvus cleans my cattle. Can I use orvus paste in the foamer? Pro's and con's of using a foamer?
Any input is appreciated

 

[shortybreeder]

No idea what Orvus is, but since I got a foamer I'm never going back to by hand. Showed it to my dairy friends and they all had one by the next show...

 

[branguscowgirl]

The foamer is all I have used for many years. I love it.
You can put any kind of soap in it that you want. A spoon full of Orvis would probably do the trick. You will just have to add soap until you get the desired sudsing action.
I use an anti microbe shampoo in mine to prevent picking up any skin issues.

 

[chippie]

I have both the EQ Solutions foamer and the EZ All.
You can use any shampoo as long as you thin it with water so that it will mix and draw into the water flow.
The VO5 Lime Kiwi shampoo is great. It cleans well and leaves a nice shine to the hair. Be careful using Orvus. It can dry the skin and cause flakes.
TSC carries the EZ All

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/ezall-bathing-kit

 

[Southview Sweetheart]

Thanks everyone for your help i think ill pick up a foamer and play around with it!

 

[wellsk_80]

What I learned using a foamer is to spray foamer directly on calf before getting the calf wet . If you wet them first then try and use the foamer the wet coat will create a bearer and not allow the soap to do its job.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

According to all the experts, Orvus is the WORST soap to use on cattle. It is said to dry out the skin really bad, and hair follicles. But we rinse often, and bathe just about once a week or less, so bad soap would make a big difference in our hair coats. We just buy dawn, and put it in the foamer. Cattle get clean and stay clean...

We love the foamer, and have several. We get the cattle wet first, then foam, then brush forward, then rinse.

 

[wellsk_80]

According to all the experts, Orvus is the WORST soap to use on cattle. It is said to dry out the skin really bad, and hair follicles. But we rinse often, and bathe just about once a week or less, so bad soap would make a big difference in our hair coats. We just buy dawn, and put it in the foamer. Cattle get clean and stay clean...

We love the foamer, and have several. We get the cattle wet first, then foam, then brush forward, then rinse.

Dawn is a degreaser , it cuts grease and oil on dishes. So what will it do to the oil in hair? We show with a family that uses dawn as well and you can tell that they do . There cattle hair has a dead and looks like wire . We have took our daughter to a couple Stock show U's and there professors say DAWN is the worst soap you can use on livestock for the reasons I posted above. They did not push there products in any way or form , they said you where better off using a soap that was designed for animals whatever the brand . We use the Weaver mild coconut shampoo in our foamer reason being there is always a Weaver show supply trailer at our shows .

 

[Bigfoot]

IMHO, anytime you wash an animal, your removing it's natural oils from both skin and hair. I go sparingly with soap, and just use water under pressure to get as much funk off as I can.

 

[VCC]

Foamers work great; you use less soap and get the soap dispensed all over. We washed the calves once week, rinsed daily (more as the weather heated up). "Lemon Joy" was the soap we started with but went to the store brand of Head and Shoulders. If your rinsing daily the calves stay pretty clean, the calves with that great hair are also getting product put into it daily, the product tends to build up over the week. We were using Revive (leg hair and tail head), Klean-Sheen (entire body after blowing out prior to kicking out), and Pink (blown in to the hair in the morning when calves were stalled out of the sun) throughout the week. The soap is used to remove the product and oils so you can start all over again. We used a leave in cream rinse twice a week, a quarter sized dollop and fill the 5 gallon bucket to the top, dip the tail and then pour from poll to tailhead. We dip the tail to work out any tangles, much easier with the cream rinse.
If your washing every day or other day you will dry out the hair, once a week worked well for us. We did put product right back on them after.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Foamers work great; you use less soap and get the soap dispensed all over. We washed the calves once week, rinsed daily (more as the weather heated up). "Lemon Joy" was the soap we started with but went to the store brand of Head and Shoulders. If your rinsing daily the calves stay pretty clean, the calves with that great hair are also getting product put into it daily, the product tends to build up over the week. We were using Revive (leg hair and tail head), Klean-Sheen (entire body after blowing out prior to kicking out), and Pink (blown in to the hair in the morning when calves were stalled out of the sun) throughout the week. The soap is used to remove the product and oils so you can start all over again. We used a leave in cream rinse twice a week, a quarter sized dollop and fill the 5 gallon bucket to the top, dip the tail and then pour from poll to tailhead. We dip the tail to work out any tangles, much easier with the cream rinse.
If your washing every day or other day you will dry out the hair, once a week worked well for us. We did put product right back on them after.

This is pretty much our routine also, but we do not use head and shoulders. We use what ever soap is on sale at Sams (Dawn, Joy, Palmolive). We also spray with Klean Sheen to replace what is removed. We mix a bucket of the conditioner and vinegar, which helps with the flies and hair also. We have never had a problem with dry hair, but we wash weekly, at most.
We have hit many Stock Show U clinics, and the Grad program. While their products are good, they are expensive. We use a bunch of it (Kleen Sheen, Revive, all the glues and oils, rag oil, and so much more), and like it. Good hair comes from more than just a bath, but hours of working, brushing, rinsing, blowing.... bringing those natural oils to the surface.

 

[wellsk_80]

Everyone has different things that work for them . If cheap dawn soap works for you great !! I could not say it anybetter about great hair being more than a shampoo. With that being said I think we would also agree with hair is a big thing in the show ring . I am not going to give good money or take one of my best calves and feed the best feed I feel that fits best and then cut a corner or something I am going to use very little of once a week or twice at the most. The more revive and other things you wanna spray , whip on makes your cattle this time of year will bring up there body temp tremendously that's why they come out with the revive lite. But like I said everyone has what works for them and dawn dish soap just don't cut it for us.

 

[branguscowgirl]

IMHO, anytime you wash an animal, your removing it's natural oils from both skin and hair. I go sparingly with soap, and just use water under pressure to get as much funk off as I can.

I agree BF. When did they start being treated more like show poodles instead of cattle?

Wow! (For what you all go through to show your cattle.) If I had to use all those products and rinse them that much, there is no way that I would be showing.
Mine get a good bath either just before, or when they get there. Rinsed daily while they are there. Some oily spray shine before they go in the ring, and their good to go! :lol:
The best thing the Brangus Assoc (or members) ever did was to eliminate all that hair fluff stuff in the show ring. We shave them off slick a month ahead of time, so the gouge marks can fill in. :mrgreen:

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

IMHO, anytime you wash an animal, your removing it's natural oils from both skin and hair. I go sparingly with soap, and just use water under pressure to get as much funk off as I can.

I agree BF. When did they start being treated more like show poodles instead of cattle?

Wow! (For what you all go through to show your cattle.) If I had to use all those products and rinse them that much, there is no way that I would be showing.
Mine get a good bath either just before, or when they get there. Rinsed daily while they are there. Some oily spray shine before they go in the ring, and their good to go! :lol:
The best thing the Brangus Assoc (or members) ever did was to eliminate all that hair fluff stuff in the show ring. We shave them off slick a month ahead of time, so the gouge marks can fill in. :mrgreen:

I agree BCG! Our Classics used to be no glue no color, but they changed that last year. I think you can hide a lot with all that product, and wish we would go slick with our breed! We have the least amount of hair out of most, since our show heifers spend the day in the pasture and just come up at night to get their grain and daily brushings. We have 12 in the barn right now, that is enough to keep all three kids busy!

 

[branguscowgirl]

Fire sweep you say they "changed" the rules. Why did it ever get like this? Where the cattle needed to be fluffed and puffed to be shown? Just can't wrap my head around a purpose for it. :bang:

I realize that if your breed assoc does it, you have to also to be competitive in the ring.
Guess that's why I have Brangus.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Fire sweep you say they "changed" the rules. Why did it ever get like this? Where the cattle needed to be fluffed and puffed to be shown? Just can't wrap my head around a purpose for it. :bang:

I realize that if your breed assoc does it, you have to also to be competitive in the ring.
Guess that's why I have Brangus.

It is all about money! Sullivans makes more money when they sell product. So, if the National shows allow glue, it is a win for Sullivans or Weaver or who ever. Like I said, the hair can hide a ton of faults... I prefer the slick look.

 

[wellsk_80]

Laynee can stick them slick as well ;-)

 

[branguscowgirl]

Nice wellsk!!
Pretty girl with her pretty heifer!

 

[branguscowgirl]

Fire sweep you say they "changed" the rules. Why did it ever get like this? Where the cattle needed to be fluffed and puffed to be shown? Just can't wrap my head around a purpose for it. :bang:

I realize that if your breed assoc does it, you have to also to be competitive in the ring.
Guess that's why I have Brangus.

It is all about money! Sullivans makes more money when they sell product. So, if the National shows allow glue, it is a win for Sullivans or Weaver or who ever. Like I said, the hair can hide a ton of faults... I prefer the slick look.

You have great cattle. Why not show them slick and see if you can start a new trend? :mrgreen:

 

[wellsk_80]

Nice wellsk!!
Pretty girl with her pretty heifer!

Thank you ... She works hard at it and its paid off for her .