When it is cold outside, it is nice to have a thick, warm coat to wear. For animals, it's no different. During the winter, the cows grow think winter coats. It doesn't get exceptionally cold around here, but when it is raining AND in the thirties AND with a stiff north wind blowing, you can tell that the cows are uncomfortable - even with their winter coats.
It is unfortunate that the livestock shows are always in the January - February time frame. That's generally the coldest time around here. Livestock shows mean that we have to pull out the clippers and give the animals a shave. They don't enjoy it and neither do we, but it's gotta be done. This is Amy our 15 month old Jersey heifer. Her thick, luxurious coat is about to be shaved off.
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| Amy's winter coat |
She feels so warm and snuggly. Amy and her mother, Rosie, grow thick coats. Daisy, our other Jersey cow, doesn't grow a thick coat at all. We're only bringing Amy and Rosie to the shows this year, so Daisy will get to keep her coat for the remainder of the winter.
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| Let's start clipping |
When I got home from work on Friday, Tricia had mostly shaved Rosie, so for Amy, it was my turn. I oiled up the clippers and turned them on. They are kind of noisy and we notice that the closer that we get to the animal's head, the more jumpy and uneasy they get. That's why we start on the end.
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| Clip, Clip |
We put a little hay and some alfalfa pellets in the trough and clipped Amy's head to a lead rope tied around a post so she wouldn't go anywhere. It's not a bad job, just a slow one. You simply rest the clippers against the skin and push upwards. Long tufts of hair will fold over leaving a smooth, clean-shaven look that makes Amy look sleek and aerodynamic!
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| In the Barber Shop |
When we're done, all of Amy's coat is gone. The judges at the livestock shows want the animals clean shaven so that they can assess the animals' lines. A full coat can hide imperfections. Of course my barber job leaves imperfections as well. Sometimes, if the animal gets a little too jumpy, I've actually cut their ear by mistake, causing some bleeding, but nothing serious.
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| All done |
Just like at the barber shop, once we're done, the floor is littered with a lot of hair that we'll need to sweep up.
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| Lots of hair on the floor |
I mentioned earlier that when we start clipping close to the head, they don't like the sound or vibration one bit and they start acting up and moving around. We have to get their halters off in order to shave their head, so one little trick that we do is use the nose clips. The nose is a real sensitive area. When we put the nose clip into the cow's nostrils, they immediately respect it. That's the reason that you see rings in the noses of bulls sometimes. With the nose clip in, you can lift her head and get the clippers all around her ears, eyes, nose and mouth.
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| Tricia with the nose clips on Amy |
Amy looks totally different now without her winter coat. She's a nice looking heifer.
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| Amy Lou |
This afternoon was a beautiful afternoon and we were able to get out in the pasture and pretend that we were the judges as Benjamin walked both Amy and Rosie around and set them up. They have to be checked in at the Jefferson Davis Parish Livestock Show tomorrow night beginning at 6 pm with the actual livestock show taking place on Tuesday morning at 9pm.
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