Any Scottish highland lovers?
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Beekissed
Herd Master
My sis raises them...she seems to like them just fine. They don't do well with electric fencing, as their long hair kind of insulates them...hers are always getting through their four strand.
Very hardy cows, seem to stay in good condition on poor forage.
Very hardy cows, seem to stay in good condition on poor forage.
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mommy_2_parks
Chillin' with the herd
Thanks beekissed. We haven't had any problems with them getting out of the fence yet (thank goodness!) and they seem to be fairings very well in this cold weather we are having here in OK. We have a heavily pregnant cow and we are impatiently waiting the arrival of her calf... This will be the first calf of our herd so I'm not 100% sure what to look for...is anything different with this breed?
Ariel301
Loving the herd life
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Great pictures! I love Highland cows, but don't know anything really about them. I used to board my horse at a farm that had a Highland heifer. She was a big sweetheart, just like a dog.
I noticed that bull (I think so at least?) has a nose ring...didn't know people used those anymore.
I noticed that bull (I think so at least?) has a nose ring...didn't know people used those anymore.
I'm new to the forum. I have been raising a small fold of about 10 Highlands for about 6 years now.
We, too, have problems with some of our cows just pushing right through the electric fencing separating the fields. Our outer fencing separating us from our neighbors is heavy duty, but our innerfield fencing is three strand with a bite strong enough for sheep, but to no avail, they still break through.
I have a question. I have a heifer, Mary, that just reached two years and she's supposed to be for beef, not breeding. So we normally butcher a heifer right away at two years before they go into heat and/or become pregnant. Highland's normally go into heat at two years or so and then deliver about 3 years of age. But Mary looks like she's very pregnant already. I've never had a heifer go into heat much before two years, but Mary looks very pregnant already. She looks like she's bagging up, her teats are enlarged and her vulva is a little more swollen. I thought she went into heat about a month ago since our bull was very interested in her but it now ignoring her.
Has anyone had a heifer look very pregnant early on? Or has anyone had a highland heifer go into heat at 14 to 16 months?
Thanks for your input.
Robin:/
We, too, have problems with some of our cows just pushing right through the electric fencing separating the fields. Our outer fencing separating us from our neighbors is heavy duty, but our innerfield fencing is three strand with a bite strong enough for sheep, but to no avail, they still break through.
I have a question. I have a heifer, Mary, that just reached two years and she's supposed to be for beef, not breeding. So we normally butcher a heifer right away at two years before they go into heat and/or become pregnant. Highland's normally go into heat at two years or so and then deliver about 3 years of age. But Mary looks like she's very pregnant already. I've never had a heifer go into heat much before two years, but Mary looks very pregnant already. She looks like she's bagging up, her teats are enlarged and her vulva is a little more swollen. I thought she went into heat about a month ago since our bull was very interested in her but it now ignoring her.
Has anyone had a heifer look very pregnant early on? Or has anyone had a highland heifer go into heat at 14 to 16 months?
Thanks for your input.
Robin:/
amysflock
Loving the herd life
Hi Robin,
Highland heifers usually go into heat long before 2-years old, actually as early as 7-9 months. It's just that because they mature so slowly, breeders choose not to breed them until such that they'll have their first calves at around 3, so they have more time to devote their energy to physical growth/maturity.
If she's bagging up, she's probably bred. A bull showing interest, unless you see actual mounting (or mounting behavior from the heifer or a heifer in standing heat), isn't an indicator of being open.
Our cow, Bridgit, starting bagging up about 2.5 months prior to calving. (I was actually checking her udder, pins and vulva twice a day - 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. that whole time...her actual calving took me by surprise!) She, too, was bred early and calved at 2.5 years old.
I've been told early breeding can result not only in calving issues, but can also stunt the heifer's overall growth. Be there, if you can, for the delivery to assist if necessary, and in the future, do what you can to keep any young heifers safe from a bull of any age (bull calves can breed before 1 year old, too).
Good luck!
Highland heifers usually go into heat long before 2-years old, actually as early as 7-9 months. It's just that because they mature so slowly, breeders choose not to breed them until such that they'll have their first calves at around 3, so they have more time to devote their energy to physical growth/maturity.
If she's bagging up, she's probably bred. A bull showing interest, unless you see actual mounting (or mounting behavior from the heifer or a heifer in standing heat), isn't an indicator of being open.
Our cow, Bridgit, starting bagging up about 2.5 months prior to calving. (I was actually checking her udder, pins and vulva twice a day - 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. that whole time...her actual calving took me by surprise!) She, too, was bred early and calved at 2.5 years old.
I've been told early breeding can result not only in calving issues, but can also stunt the heifer's overall growth. Be there, if you can, for the delivery to assist if necessary, and in the future, do what you can to keep any young heifers safe from a bull of any age (bull calves can breed before 1 year old, too).
Good luck!
