Anyone know about "highland " beef cows

[reinbeau]

Are you talking about Scottish Highland cattle? I saw them on CBS Sunday Morning this morning, and the farmer said the horns are radiators - if you remove their horns aren't you removing their way of regulating their temperature? He said the horns were warm. Keep in mind I know absolutely nothing about any kind of cattle - I was just curious.

 

[crzychicken]

Not sure the first I heard of it also I changed the breed of cow I'm getting,It's Dexters now my son wants cream for butter and Ice cream highland is for meat

 

[jhm47]

The horns have a certain amount of blood circulation, so they probably do have a minimal amount of ability to disperse heat. That being said, the surface area of the horns is tiny, and would not have much effect on the animal's ability to keep cool. Any good herd person would provide fresh cool water and shade to his or her animals, and that is far more important than allowing them to have horns. If this were true, the polled cattle (which are now more than 75% of total) and dehorned cattle (about 20%) should all be suffering from heat stress.

Do the responsible thing and have them dehorned. The life you save may be your own or someone you love. Believe me, I've seen first hand what horned cattle can do.

 

[amysflock]

I agree, if you're going to be milking (or working with a Dexter bull), you're best off dehorning. Also, if your son has any interest in showing 4-H, he'll have to have dehorned cattle; horned animals are prohibited. (Not sure if the same is true for FFA if he gets to that point in high school...I have yet to meet an FFA kiddo showing Highlands or Dexters.)

Congrats on your purchases!

 

[crzychicken]

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