The idea behind tailpaint is to coat the hairs on the tail head so that any disturbance can be easily recognised.

​

The tailpaint should be applied sparingly and brushed forward from the tail head towards the hips.

​

If the paint is applied too thickly then over time the paint will become dry and fall off in clumps. This will give the false impression that the cow has been in standing heat and could then be inseminated in error.

 

So in other words "Less is Better".

​

My personal preference is to use the FIL Detail water based tailpaint(and no, I am not sponsored by them).

The reason for this is because the paint is thin and when it dries it allows the hairs on the tail head to stand up.

The oil based paint is thicker and can tend to flatten the hairs on the tail head.

​

It is important to apply the paint so that the tail hairs stand up because when a cow is ridden the tail hairs are flattened.

​

The difference then between clean paint with hairs upright and dirty flattened paint is easy to spot.