Tips To Prepare Your Cattle For The Championship Show
Show cattle preparation for championship competitions around Texas is quite popular. The championship show is not just focused on the genetics of the cattle but the overall development of the cattle. Here are a few tips to prepare your cattle for the championship show in Texas.
Gain Your Cattle’s Trust
To begin with the training you will need to get close to the animal and gain the animal’s trust. It will help you to understand its animal behavior in a better manner.
Halter Breaking and Training
If you have never handled a cow before, it’s best to spend time and do as much of the training process as possible before the show. The more you know about your animal, the more comfortable you will be handling it on the day of the show. It can be done with halter training or simply by walking around with your cattle in hand. It’s important to keep in mind that cattle are herd animals and need to be around other cattle if they are going to feel comfortable in the ring.
Before you start training your cattle, it is important to ensure that they have been haltered correctly. The first step toward preparing your cattle for the championship show is halter breaking. Halters are used to lead cattle from one place to another or to lead them around while they are being worked on. They are also used in breeding situations because they help control both cows and bulls, and they provide an easy way to move them around. Halter breaks should be done gradually and with plenty of encouragement.
To break a halter, you must first know how it works. The animal’s head should be held in a gentle downwards position, with its nostrils slightly flared (that means pointing down towards the ground). The strap of the halter is designed so that it can be pulled tight enough to cause discomfort, but not so tight that it will cut off blood circulation or cause injury. Once you have determined how much pressure you need to apply to get your animal’s attention, begin with a gentle tug on the strap.
If he responds favorably and pulls back his head, then you can repeat this process until he seems relaxed enough for you to remove him from his restraints completely. You should also check for any signs of injury or illness during this process; if there is anything wrong with your cow’s body during this time frame, then don’t force her into standing still when she doesn’t want to. You can seek help from cattle services around you for halter breaking of your cattle.
Nutritious Food
For overall development and growth, one needs to have nutritious food. You either feed them with a balanced diet, or formulated feed is available on the market. It would cover all their macro and micronutrient requirements. Try to make their eating habits consistent and fix a routine for them.
Hygiene Cattle Pens
Maintaining a hygienic environment is essential for cattle owners to keep their animals away from diseases. Due to the animal waste, majority of the time, the cattle pen is wet. It is an invitation to bacteria and fungal growth. Bacterias are omnipresent; you can’t eliminate them from the cattle pen, but all you can do is keep the bedding and pen clean. This would reduce the chance of infection.
Grooming Sessions
Cattle need regular grooming sessions to keep their coats clean, healthy, and shiny. For example – Keeping the cattle ears cleaned regularly will prevent ear infections which can cause serious complications such as infection, lameness, or even death if left untreated. It is important that they don’t get dirty during their stay at a livestock show. You should take care of this yourself before the show or send someone else if you can’t make it yourself (and if you can, please do).
There are many different ways for people to clean their animals before entering a livestock show, including using a brush and soap or using a commercial shampoo or conditioner. If you want to go with something more natural, try making up a batch of homemade shampoo at home! Make sure that your animal is well-groomed before entering the ring.
Hire A Veterinary Doc
It is always advisable to get your cattle checked at regular intervals. If you have recently bought a show cattle in Texas, ensure that you have the vaccination certificates, or else get the cattle checked by the veterinary doctor.
Plan and start your training sessions well ahead so that your cattle can be the showstopper in the championship competition. If you are around Texas for your show cattle, don’t forget to stop by Kocurek Cattle Company! For more information, contact us on (979) 200-8475 or mail us at contact@kocurekcattle.com