Highland Cattle

[ILoveHorses]

Can anyone give me some info on Highlands?



Thanks

 

[amysflock]

I'd be happy to! Do you have specific questions?

We're 2.5 years into our own little Highland beef/breeding stock operation. We absolutely love them! They tend to be gentle and calm, certainly more so than some of the conventional, flighty breeds like Angus, although personalities vary by individual (and also by how they were raised...we picked up two purebreds in January, both of whom were halter broken and worked as calves but then purchased and hardly worked with for 7 years; needless to say, we butchered one in April and the second goes in January of 2011).

They are great browsers, meaning they'll eat things most cattle will not, and can do well on it (like brush, scotch broom, etc.). Because they're smaller, they can get by on less pasture...BUT you do need to provide adequate food in the form of hay, haylage, etc., if you don't have enough good pasture for them to thrive on. (This is the same as any cattle breed.) Fresh, clean water and minerals suited to your area are always required. They do not require shelter but like shade in hot sun, and may seek out shelter if it's cold AND wet/windy (but don't be surprised to see them laying out in the weather covered in snow).

They are excellent mothers (this means they can be very protective, which is an excellent trait - but requires caution when working with newly freshened mamas and babies). They tend to be good milkers, providing great, fatty milk for their calves, and calving difficulties are very rare in this breed. Mature cows can produce a calf every year and can breed back and calve as old as age 20.

Highlands grow and mature more slowly than other conventional breeds. Females are usually not bred until at or slightly after age 2 to give their bodies time to mature fully before calving around age 3. (Breeding/calving too early causes stunted growth and poor performance in the cow.) Steers and beef heifers are usually butchered between 24 and 30 months of age (required if you participate in AHCA's Quality Highland Beef program). Cows can make excellent full cuts (quarters/halves, etc.) up to about age 6; after that, they're great hamburger.

Because Highlands have a double hair coat (downy, thick undercoat and a long, waterproof topcoat in winter), they don't put on the thick fat layer underneath their skin that conventional breeds do, so there's less waste at butchering time. Their meat is lean but does marble well. They can be finished on grass or grain.

If you're looking to buy a Highland, check AHCA's site to see if there are breeders in your area. Most breeders are happy to talk Highlands and may be willing to show you around their farms.

If you have other questions, feel free to PM me. You can also go to my farm site to read more (link in my signature).

 

[ILoveHorses]

I'd be happy to! Do you have specific questions?

We're 2.5 years into our own little Highland beef/breeding stock operation. We absolutely love them! They tend to be gentle and calm, certainly more so than some of the conventional, flighty breeds like Angus, although personalities vary by individual (and also by how they were raised...we picked up two purebreds in January, both of whom were halter broken and worked as calves but then purchased and hardly worked with for 7 years; needless to say, we butchered one in April and the second goes in January of 2011).

They are great browsers, meaning they'll eat things most cattle will not, and can do well on it (like brush, scotch broom, etc.). Because they're smaller, they can get by on less pasture...BUT you do need to provide adequate food in the form of hay, haylage, etc., if you don't have enough good pasture for them to thrive on. (This is the same as any cattle breed.) Fresh, clean water and minerals suited to your area are always required. They do not require shelter but like shade in hot sun, and may seek out shelter if it's cold AND wet/windy (but don't be surprised to see them laying out in the weather covered in snow).

They are excellent mothers (this means they can be very protective, which is an excellent trait - but requires caution when working with newly freshened mamas and babies). They tend to be good milkers, providing great, fatty milk for their calves, and calving difficulties are very rare in this breed. Mature cows can produce a calf every year and can breed back and calve as old as age 20.

Highlands grow and mature more slowly than other conventional breeds. Females are usually not bred until at or slightly after age 2 to give their bodies time to mature fully before calving around age 3. (Breeding/calving too early causes stunted growth and poor performance in the cow.) Steers and beef heifers are usually butchered between 24 and 30 months of age (required if you participate in AHCA's Quality Highland Beef program). Cows can make excellent full cuts (quarters/halves, etc.) up to about age 6; after that, they're great hamburger.

Because Highlands have a double hair coat (downy, thick undercoat and a long, waterproof topcoat in winter), they don't put on the thick fat layer underneath their skin that conventional breeds do, so there's less waste at butchering time. Their meat is lean but does marble well. They can be finished on grass or grain.

If you're looking to buy a Highland, check AHCA's site to see if there are breeders in your area. Most breeders are happy to talk Highlands and may be willing to show you around their farms.

If you have other questions, feel free to PM me. You can also go to my farm site to read more (link in my signature).

Thank you!! How do you handle them??

 

[amysflock]

Hey Toby,

We're really small and don't have any special handling equipment per se. I do work with them a small amount almost every day, though...more for my pleasure than anything else. They're the same to handle as any other cattle, with one exception: those horns! Highlands can be pretty "expressive" with their horns; they use them on one another, will likely try to use them on you in some way (whether it's head shaking out of annoyance/dominance, or actually tapping or hitting you with one, or worse - none of which is tolerated on our farm!)...our lead cow is deftly skilled at using hers to reach apple tree branches to either shake the apples out, or to pull fresh leaves down to her mouth. They can also scratch itches on themselves that polled cattle would just have to suffer through! (My lead cow, Sheila, actually stood on three legs to scratch the very back/underside of her udder not long ago. I was amazed at her flexibility.)

They *love* to be combed (usually...calves can be shy, and some cattle take awhile to get used to the comb if they haven't been combed before), and they - and I - get a lot of joy out of regular combing sessions to remove knots and tangles, clumps of dirt, etc. (They can get quite gnarly in the spring/early summer as their undercoats start to shed out - one of ours, Natalie, is nicknamed Ratty Natty for a reason! - but they do manage to shed even the biggest mats on their own, so combing isn't necessary...but it's fun!)

My biggest suggestions are the same as working with any cattle: move slowly, avoid large or quick movements, loud noises, use their flight zones to your advantage, etc. Be mindful of how you approach them; from the side is best (less threatening). I would recommend reading some of Temple Grandin's work with cattle for some great information.

A lot of breeders halter break their heifer calves (and some bull calves) prior to sale...always a huge plus and I'd definitely recommend looking for a halter broken animal. (Ask the seller to demonstrate so you can PROVE with your own eyes whether they're easy to catch/halter/lead.) Mature Highland cows can be challenging to get a halter on because of the width of those horns as opposed to their little noses; those adjustable, one-piece rope halters (poly is fine) are awesome because you can easily adjust the loops to be as big or small as you need. We often use a little bit (1/2 lb to 1 lb) of grain in a bucket as a bribe if needed, and then slip the loop over the horns and nose while they're "busy."

For vet visits, once they're haltered, we tie them off to a study post until we're ready for each animal, and then use a v-squeeze setup to contain them for procedures/shots. (A v-squeeze is two cattle panels, one fixed and one pivoting, connected by chains at one end with a block of wood or something to maintain spacing so you can get a girl and her horns up close enough to the front. Once she's in place, you close the pivoting panel tight against her side so she's wedged in, tie it off with rope behind the backs of her thighs to the other, and voila!)

If you do get Highlands and want to "upgrade" to a proper squeeze chute with headgate, the scissors style gate works better than the common headgates, as the latter don't open up wide enough to get horns through. Sometimes a cow can get through one horn at a time - if you hold a horn and crank her head around - but a mature bull won't ever fit.

Oh, golly, what else? Do you have other specific questions? I'm not sure if I'm just rambling or actually helping, LOL!

 

[pawtraitart]

Highlands are my favorite bovine breed. We raise them here in Idaho. They are gentle and easy to work with. I highly recommend them.

 

[amysflock]

Highlands are my favorite bovine breed. We raise them here in Idaho. They are gentle and easy to work with. I highly recommend them.

Hi there,

We love 'em, too. How many head do you have? Are you by chance in the NWHCA?

 

[pawtraitart]

We're a small operation at the moment. We have one bull and four cows. We do indeed belong to the NWHCA. (Magic Valley Highlands)

 

[amysflock]

We're a small operation at the moment. We have one bull and four cows. We do indeed belong to the NWHCA. (Magic Valley Highlands)

Cool! (I'm your current Secretary/Treasurer!) We're small, too, with three cows and two steer calves currently. We had as many as 6 head at one time (four cows, long yearling bull, long yearling heifer), and then 7 for a day (scary! had two bull calves born between selling the yearling bull and selling the yearling heifer). That was too many for our little place!

 

[pawtraitart]

Nice to meet you here on BackYardHerds! We really enjoy the highlands.

 

[Dreaming Of Goats]

Can you milk highlands? Any pictures? I absolutely LOVE the white ones!