Finishing touches for fair animals
Grooming is a big part of getting ready for the 4-H arena
Photo by Deb Gau Corbin Johnson combed a calf's fur as he got ready for the beef cattle show Thursday at the Lyon County Fair.
Photo by Deb Gau Leah Christianson carefully trimmed the wool around her sheep's legs in preparation for the show arena.
Photo by Deb Gau Finley Boerboom gave a pig a bath with soap and water outside the 4-H barns at the fairgrounds.
Photo by Deb Gau Corbin Johnson combed a calf's fur as he got ready for the beef cattle show Thursday at the Lyon County Fair.
Photo by Deb Gau Leah Christianson carefully trimmed the wool around her sheep's legs in preparation for the show arena.
Photo by Deb Gau Finley Boerboom gave a pig a bath with soap and water outside the 4-H barns at the fairgrounds.
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MARSHALL -- It takes a lot of work to get livestock ready for the county fair - and part of that work is making sure the animals look their best for the show arena.
On Thursday morning there was plenty of bustle around the 4-H barns at the Lyon County Fair, as area youth washed, blow-dried, combed and trimmed the coats of cattle and sheep. There were even pigs getting a scrub and a shower from the hose in outdoor pens at the fairgrounds.
"They like it, especially on a hot day," said Finley Boerboom, one of the 4-H members washing their pigs outside the barns Thursday. "They hate it when it's cold, though."
Kyra Wichmann, a 4-H member from Balaton, said she washes her show pigs regularly. But during the fair, she said, "It's for sure every day."
Kyra and Jackson Wichmann said they were each taking care of several pigs. Kyra estimated it would take about an hour to wash all five pigs she was showing. Jackson had three pigs of his own that he was showing.
Some of the 4-H members at the fair Thursday were busy fitting sheep - trimming or shearing their wool to better show different breed characteristics. Leah Christianson got assistance from her family to help keep her sheep steady, as she carefully trimmed the wool around its legs.
Cleaning and grooming sheep can a big job, but Christianson said preparation for the fair also meant making sure the animals were in good physical shape.
"We took like a week of preparation," she said. Getting ready for a show could mean adjusting the sheep's diet, and making sure they get plenty of activity. "We give them lots of exercise, lots of little things."
Members of 4-H said doing pre-show grooming can be a long process, depending on the size of the animal and how many of them you're showing. Cattle were some of the largest animals getting cleaned and groomed Thursday morning. Olivia DeVos estimated it could take over an hour to groom a beef cow for the show ring. The goal, she said, is "If you can get it as best as you're capable."
"If you want it to be absolutely perfect, it can take one or two hours," said Skylar Johnson.
she and other members of the Johnson family were helping Corbin Johnson get ready for his first time showing beef cattle.
Corbin said he was feeling "Kind of excited," about getting to show his calf.
Corbin's dad LeRoy Johnson said one of the best parts of 4-H was getting to see the progress he was making. "You see his confidence grow every day," Johnson said.
Getting to be around animals and compete at the fair was worth it, even if it meant hard work, 4-H members said.
"After all the work you did, getting a banner or even a ribbon is cool," Jackson Wichmann said.