La Plata County Fairgrounds were buzzing with activity on Saturday. Some attended the annual demolition derby while others walked about the livestock ranges, where sheep, cows, goats and pigs were abundant before the auction scheduled for later in the evening.

Some 4-H members traveled from as far as Farmington to show their livestock at the auction.

Rylie Zufelt, 21, was watching over her younger sister, Jordyn Lott’s, three cows as she participated in the Future Farmers of America’s Blue and Gold competition in the Junior Livestock Awards.

Lott’s most standout cattle, from a layman’s perspective, might have been the striped Hereford and Brahman breed named Butterfish.

Zufelt said in Texas, the mixed breed is commonly referred to as “tigerstripe.”

It’s a long-eared animal with a hump on its shoulders that it stores water in that’s similar to camels, she said. To stand the Texas heat, the cattle are very leathery. They flap their elongated, blood vessel-filled ears to stay cool.

She said Butterfish’s skin from its jaw to its brisket is very leathery, which helps it withstand the heat.

“I always tell people that they’re treated better than we are,” she said. “They get breakfast before we do. My sister gets up in the morning and sees him. And then she goes to school. When she gets home from school and while it’s daylight, she brings them out.”

Butterfish naturally grows long hair and resists the cold as well as it handles the heat. He is shaved in the summertime, particularly before showing events, so his colors and patterns stand out.

“They’re just like people. If you don’t take a shower and you don’t wash your hair, you get dandruff and your head is itchy,” Zufelt said. “It’s the same with them. They can get dandruff and they get itchy. And then they rub all the hair off of their hide.”

She said conditioner is used when Butterfish is washed to avoid making his hide itchy.

“She washes them. She loves on them. They truly are her best friends,” Zufelt said of her sister Lott. “After they’re done being washed, she’ll put them on feed and they’ll eat their dinner.”

Zufelt has cared for cattle for about 11 years, since she was 10 years old. And her sister grew up around the livestock scene.

“Basically, she’s done this her whole life,” she said.

Zufelt said people have a lot of misconceptions about livestock and how they are reared. Mainly, that they are treated inhumanely.

“They get (to eat) before we get breakfast. They’re washed every day. My sister doesn’t do homework until they’re done and put away,” she said. “They’re basically like pampered dogs. They get baths and they’re fed. They get fed high quality feed and fresh water.”

Once a week, Lott changes the cattles’ water and scrubs their water tanks clean, she said. The tanks are kept in the shade where it’s cooler.

Zufelt said about a month before a showing, Lott puts powdered Gatorade in the cattles’ water to boost their electrolytes. Plus, the cattle aren’t keen on drinking city water – they prefer it straight from the well they were raised.

“So we filter their water and then we put the Gatorade in there so they’re getting electrolytes and they’re staying hydrated and it tastes like the water at home,” she said.

Ricky, an Angus breed and grand champion, was expected to be sold at the auction Saturday evening, Zufelt said.

She said he will be sold and processed and feed a family or be distributed by a company.

Butterfish and the other cow’s numbers aren’t up quite yet and they were slated to return home with Zufelt and Lott.

“The heifer, she’s my sister’s breeding project. We’ll take her home and (into) the pasture. ... So she’ll go be a cow and live with the rest of our herd,” she said. “When it comes time, she’ll lay down and have a calf and Jordyn will decide if she wants to show that next year or if she wants to sell it.”

cburney@durangoherald.com