Some people don't clip their own animals. They hire professional fitters to do that for them. These people have a LOT more money than we have. (Their cattle are a lot more expensive, too, I'm sure.) We do our own clipping. As a dairy team, we have done it different ways. We have clipped our own animals all by ourselves. We have broken into teams and two or three or four people worked on each animal with each person having a specific job in a specific area until everyone's animals were done. We've done the same thing with washing.
Dairy cattle are washed carefully and let dry before they are clipped. You take a heifer or cow and halter it with a rope halter. Then you lead it into the clipping chute.
I've added a picture of my dream chute so you can see what I mean.
The left side of this picture is the front. The open end on the right side of this picture is the back.
The floor of the chute is plywood. There is an optional black floor pad that you can install for the comfort of your animal.
The two black bars at the front spread apart to put the head through. Then you close them back together so she can't back her head out. You tie the end of her rope halter on the end of that triangular piece that sticks out the front. This will help keep her head a little more still.
The two black bars leaning at angles on the sides of the chute keep her from stepping out the sides. The bars can be stood straight up and down or angled toward the back, too. You can move them while you are clipping.
Some dairy cattle are calm and just let you do your job. Some flinch and jerk. Some stamp their feet because you're annoying like flies are. Some kick because they want to chase you off. Some are crazy and will flip the chute over. Some are beyond crazy and will not only flip the chute over, but will then take off through the barn dragging the chute around them. Be on your guard. Be aware of everything around you. You can get hurt really easily.
*******
You can mess up the looks of a really nice animal with a bad clip job. I've ended up with some doozies, some from my own doing and some from the help of others.
Number one rule: Don't cut the topline hair off. The topline is the hair down the base of the neck and all the way down the spine to the tail. Stay away from it. Leave a wide margin around that whole area. The topline clipping is to be left to people who REALLY know what they are doing. That person is our 4-H/FFA advisor. The top line should stand up kind of like a faux-hawk and be straight as a board all down her back. It is supposed to enhance the straightness of the backbone.
Work in a well-lit area. If you can't see, you're going to leave stray hairs or take off some where you should not.
Large clippers are to be used on the body: Sides, rear end, chest, brisket, and from the knee up on front legs and from the hock up on rear legs.
Small clippers are to be used on the entire head, bottom half of legs, tail (minus the switch). While you are clipping the head, you take off the rope halter so you don't have to work around it. If the animal is crazy, you'll probably have to use the nose tongs on it. These tongs kind of look like vice grips with fat balls on their pinchers. You put these inside the nose and have one person hold the head still with nose tongs and one person clip the head. You can do the same thing with your fingers in the nose, but the tongs keep you from tiring out as easy. Try it on yourself with your fingers, then try to turn your head and see how far you get. Now you know what they mean by getting "led around by the nose."
Belly hair is left on heifers. Cows' bellies and udders are clipped clean. Clip everything down so you can see every vein on the belly.
When you're working way down low, you can get smacked around by the tail switch. You can take the long hair of the switch and braid it around the back post of the frame if you're working alone. If you have one, let your partner hold it out of your way.
Take long smooth strokes with the clippers. Lay the clippers down as level with the body as possible. Don't leave stray clumps of hair.
Brush out the hair clippings from the clippers often. Oil the clippers often or you will burn up the motor. Spray them with anti-fungal disinfectant before you use them on a new animal. Do not lay the clippers in the dirt. Do not let the clipper blades hit anything. One broken tooth will mess up everything.
After the girls are all pretty, you have to keep an eagle eye on them to make sure they stay that way. Another animal can swing its rear against yours and poop. Your animal can lie down in poop. Your animal or one next to it can paw at the straw and throw it up over their backs. You get the idea. So you have to watch your girls and their neighbors, too. Ideally, you watch for their tails to start to raise and get a scoop shovel under them and catch the poop before it hits the ground. Sadly, some of them will actually poop while they are still lying down. You have to get it out of there fast.
This watch goes on for hours and hours. Some shows you have showmanship one day and stock show the next. That means you have to keep them clean overnight, too. It's a crazy schedule. It's not for the weak. Dairy kids are probably the only showmen that can go to the Tulsa State Fair for five days and get a grand total of two hours out in the fair going through the carnival rides and exhibit buildings.
Dairy cattle are washed carefully and let dry before they are clipped. You take a heifer or cow and halter it with a rope halter. Then you lead it into the clipping chute.
I've added a picture of my dream chute so you can see what I mean.
The left side of this picture is the front. The open end on the right side of this picture is the back.
The floor of the chute is plywood. There is an optional black floor pad that you can install for the comfort of your animal.
 |
| Sullivan's Cadillac Chute |
The two black bars leaning at angles on the sides of the chute keep her from stepping out the sides. The bars can be stood straight up and down or angled toward the back, too. You can move them while you are clipping.
Some dairy cattle are calm and just let you do your job. Some flinch and jerk. Some stamp their feet because you're annoying like flies are. Some kick because they want to chase you off. Some are crazy and will flip the chute over. Some are beyond crazy and will not only flip the chute over, but will then take off through the barn dragging the chute around them. Be on your guard. Be aware of everything around you. You can get hurt really easily.
*******
You can mess up the looks of a really nice animal with a bad clip job. I've ended up with some doozies, some from my own doing and some from the help of others.
 |
| Teaching my mom how to clip |
Work in a well-lit area. If you can't see, you're going to leave stray hairs or take off some where you should not.
Large clippers are to be used on the body: Sides, rear end, chest, brisket, and from the knee up on front legs and from the hock up on rear legs.Small clippers are to be used on the entire head, bottom half of legs, tail (minus the switch). While you are clipping the head, you take off the rope halter so you don't have to work around it. If the animal is crazy, you'll probably have to use the nose tongs on it. These tongs kind of look like vice grips with fat balls on their pinchers. You put these inside the nose and have one person hold the head still with nose tongs and one person clip the head. You can do the same thing with your fingers in the nose, but the tongs keep you from tiring out as easy. Try it on yourself with your fingers, then try to turn your head and see how far you get. Now you know what they mean by getting "led around by the nose."
Belly hair is left on heifers. Cows' bellies and udders are clipped clean. Clip everything down so you can see every vein on the belly.
When you're working way down low, you can get smacked around by the tail switch. You can take the long hair of the switch and braid it around the back post of the frame if you're working alone. If you have one, let your partner hold it out of your way.
Take long smooth strokes with the clippers. Lay the clippers down as level with the body as possible. Don't leave stray clumps of hair.
Brush out the hair clippings from the clippers often. Oil the clippers often or you will burn up the motor. Spray them with anti-fungal disinfectant before you use them on a new animal. Do not lay the clippers in the dirt. Do not let the clipper blades hit anything. One broken tooth will mess up everything.
After the girls are all pretty, you have to keep an eagle eye on them to make sure they stay that way. Another animal can swing its rear against yours and poop. Your animal can lie down in poop. Your animal or one next to it can paw at the straw and throw it up over their backs. You get the idea. So you have to watch your girls and their neighbors, too. Ideally, you watch for their tails to start to raise and get a scoop shovel under them and catch the poop before it hits the ground. Sadly, some of them will actually poop while they are still lying down. You have to get it out of there fast.
This watch goes on for hours and hours. Some shows you have showmanship one day and stock show the next. That means you have to keep them clean overnight, too. It's a crazy schedule. It's not for the weak. Dairy kids are probably the only showmen that can go to the Tulsa State Fair for five days and get a grand total of two hours out in the fair going through the carnival rides and exhibit buildings.
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