Pigs are leaving the farm and headed to new homes. As you get your new project home and start working towards the next show, Skin & Hair will be one of the MAJOR components that aid in show ring success. We thought to ourselves, who better to talk about skin and hair than a showman he works on it EVERY DAY. The team at Showpig.com had the good fortune to sit down with prominent junior exhibitor, Ava Genter, to get her take on Skin and Hair 101.

Ava Genter strives to promote youth and their involvement in the show pig industry across Ohio and beyond. Throughout her high school career, she has been able to take part in organizations and opportunities across the country to spark the love and passion in others that made her fall in love with the livestock industry. She is currently a junior at Pettisville High School and plans to attend Kansas State University to major in agriculture communications and marketing in the future. Over the course of her show and FFA career, she has had the opportunity to be successful on the state and national level. Ava is so excited to be able to share her knowledge and passion with others as they navigate such an impactful industry. Find Ava’s tips and tricks to get started below…

Quality skin and hair is critical no matter the livestock species, but maintaining this foundation for your project takes dedication and consistency. The moment a new pig enters our facility marks the start toward aiming to reach the highest quality skin and hair possible for that specific pig. Taking the time daily to evaluate the condition of your pig’s skin and hair allows you to recognize what adjustments need to be implemented. One key concept that I strive to remind other young exhibitors of–whether it be with skin and hair, showmanship, whip training, or even feeding projects–is the fact that each pig is different. You may find yourself with one pig out of a group who just won’t grow hair like the others, and that is okay. Don't be afraid to take extra time or make adjustments for each pig according to its response. Through the process of perfecting skin and hair, I tend to break a daily routine down into 4 parts:

1. Environment: How clean are pens? How often are pens being clean? How is the bedding affecting my pig’s skin and hair?

2. Wash: How clean is my pig's skin? Is there any staining? Is there buildup in the hair?

3. Brush: How well am I able to brush my pig’s hair down completely flat? When I am brushing my pig, does the skin tend to flake?

4. Hydrate/Condition: How flakey is my pig's skin? Do my oils seem to be clogging pores? How smooth is the skin?

When focusing on a daily routine for your pigs, don’t underestimate the value and importance of a clean and healthy environment that stewards skin health and hair growth. Prioritizing cleanliness within your facilities at all times contributes majorly to the development of desirable skin and hair. Without clean pens and fresh soft bedding daily, pigs will continue to stain white portions of their body and scratch or even break open their skin from coarse pine shavings. Allowing the area in which your pig grows and thrives to be a  high quality space is an easy first step toward success. 

Once a clean area has been established, it’s time to understand the importance of keeping a clean animal. Washing your animals is a major foundation to promote skin and hair as it removes unwanted grime and prevents/removes staining. To start off, when washing it is important to spray down your pig with a base of water to work up dirt and excess and allow the shampoo to suds effectively. Applying a shampoo that is known as a whitening brand can help promote bright white skin and hair. Scrubbing this shampoo across the entire area of your project, including down their legs and up through their flank, using an SS110 or soft horsehair brush (depending on scrubbing intensity needed) allows them to be as clean as possible. When scrubbing, however, avoid areas around their ears to prevent water from being trapped in their canals. If water is caught within their ear, pigs tend to tilt their head towards the direction of that specific ear to remove the water. Once your pig is scrubbed, fully rinse all shampoo thoroughly. Be sure to brush all hair down to lay specifically in the direction you desire for it to lay. As their hair dries in the direction it was brushed, the hair will over time naturally lay accordingly. While in theory, washing should be able to help remove stanning, sometimes there is a need for further assistance. One thing I use to remove stanning when other products just can't seem to do the job is hydrogen peroxide. Misting hydrogen peroxide with a spray bottle across the white stanned area, gently brushing it in, and letting it sit overnight, can remove simple stains within just a few days. 

Equally as important as keeping your pigs clean each day, is developing a daily brushing and hydrating routine to help keep skin moisturized and elevate you to the next level. Although many think it is best to wash and condition daily, I have found that continuing on an every-other-day schedule between the two has contributed to a positive impact, along with recognizing the needs of each pig. For instance, many predominantly white pigs do require daily washing with minimal oils/hydrating compared to a majority of darker pigs that surprisingly tend to dry out or lose hair due to daily washing but require a greater focus on hydration/conditioning. Requirements for each pig are always different, but at minimum, I strive to wash every other day to prevent hair loss and skin dehydration from shampoos, while conditioning with oils such as Jimmy Juice, Revive Light and a mixture of baby oil and cocoa butter lotion, in rotation with one another to promote shiny, smooth skin and hair. 

When conditioning your pigs daily, there are two major concepts to remember in terms of oils, the first being directly related to the summer months. Oils applied during a summer day or while it is extremely hot can greatly impact the heat’s effect on your pigs, so make sure to apply them in the evenings or cooler times of day to ensure your pigs are as comfortable as possible. Secondly, oils can be incredibly useful for hydrating your project's skin, but oils tend to negatively affect predominantly white pigs. Over the years I have learned that the application of oils, specifically down the white top lines of pigs, leads to the clogging of pores. There are substitutions (for example Revive Light) that you can apply to white pigs for hydrating skin and hair without any effects. Brushing these products throughout the entire area of your pig with an SS110 or soft horsehair brush allows the oils and conditioner to be thoroughly absorbed into the skin and promote smooth hair. 

When creating a skin and hair routine, consistency is key and you have to find the routine that works best for you. I tend to work my pigs’ skin and hair daily; each day presents new opportunities and needs for each individual animal. However, recognizing each individual pig’s needs over time and adapting through learning experiences is something that I have found to be the most beneficial in terms of gaining a deeper understanding and knowledge as you adapt and learn from previously executed practices. The first step to great skin and hair on show day is doing the leg work at home. For additional tips on tanning and show day prep, stay tuned for Skin and Hair 102!