calf calm or melatonin?

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concerned.parent
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calf calm or melatonin?

Post by concerned.parent » Thu Feb 23, 2017 12:39 pm

My daughter is showing a berk in one week she weighs about 250 and we have tried everything to calm her down. This is our first year showing. We walk her everyday feed her more then enough 3 times a day and we are not sure what to do. I was told to try either calf calm or melatonin but i'm not sure if it will come out if she is drug tested. Please some one help us out!

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HogDoc
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Re: calf calm or melatonin?

Post by HogDoc » Thu Feb 23, 2017 2:37 pm

The whole testing deal is getting harder and harder to answer as the tests get more sensitive coupled with zero tolerance policies that hold exhibition pigs to an entirely different standard than pigs sold to slaughter.

There is no melatonin labelled for pigs but it is also produced naturally in pigs. Finding melatonin in a pig would just mean it is alive and has an active pineal gland. Technically the melatonin could be tested to find out if it is natural or supplemented but that is an expensive time consuming testing process.

As far as I know the main ingredient in calf calm is valerian root. It is a plant which grows naturally and could potentially be consumed by any grazing animal. I can't see how they'd test for the fatty acid ethers in it and determine it wasn't from a plant the pig ate.
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gobigorgohome
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Re: calf calm or melatonin?

Post by gobigorgohome » Sat Feb 25, 2017 10:58 am

Whatever you decide to use - try it at home prior to the show to see how much you need to use and how the animal reacts to it. One year a breeder gave my son's hog something prior to being shown and the hog went crazy. Ran around the ring squealing the entire time. Couldn't even show it. Never again!!

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