Scottish Highland or Dexters?

[Hillsvale]

going to take a look at some this week, I'll ask.
they were originally bred both for milk and meat but I don't know that the bloodlines still support it. I'll let you know what I find out.

that would be awesome. Thank you
I dont need much milk i guess. A gallon a day would be enough to support us. I really like their look and everything else ive read really seems like they are the ones i want to go with, but i do need the milk over the meat right now. Or, if we have enough $$$ ill buy one cow strictly for milk and buy 1 bred cow/hfr for the meat. Well, you know what i mean, when she has a bull then ill use him for meat i should say. Not her. Thanks, Rach

one more thing to consider - highland crosses with beef cattle result in half-higland cattle that carry the high-food utilization and foraging characteristics of the highlands. you might, if you have time to grow a cow, get a highland or two and breed them to a dairy bull. I haven't seen any info on the results, but I'm guessing a dairy-highland cross heifer might solve your needs, long term. if you got bull calves, you could raise them for beef, heifer calves, raise them for milk.

anyway, that might be further out than you're planning, but it's worth considering.
I'll post up later this week.

I have a bred highland and a little steer coming in the spring, the steer will be freezer food this time next year... he will be almost 2.5 years old (slow poke cows) but this is keeping with tradition of our other heritage critters. The lady I have bought them from had a highland jersey mix... looks just like a highland but is quite a bit bigger at 1 year old as her 2 year old highlands.

 

[Beekissed]

Dutch-belted?

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/dutchbelted/index.htm

Or...this one?

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/milkingshorthorn/index.htm

The Milking Shorthorn breed is the most versatile of all breeds and this is one of its greatest attributes. These docile cows efficiently produce large volumes of nutritious milk each lactation and are large enough to have a high salvage value when their long productive lives finally come to an end. In addition, their healthy calves born each year on regular calving intervals are spunky at birth, grow rapidly, and those not kept for breeding stock and herd replacement make efficient gains and hang very desirable grading carcasses.

Other attributes of the breed include ease of calving, ease of management and economy of production, especially on home produced roughages and grass.

One of the first official demonstrations of the production ability of Milking Shorthorns was made at the World's Exposition in Chicago in 1893 where two of the leading cows of the test were Kitty Clay 3rd and Kitty Clay 4th, the latter standing third in net profit over all breeds. These sister cows became the foundation for the Clay cow family of Milking Shorthorns, developed at Glenside Farm, Granville Center, Pennsylvania.

I'd use this last one and maybe breed her to a Galloway bull. Galloway or Belted Galloway are comparable to the Highlands for fairing well on rough range, doing well in cold climates, good parasite resistance, etc. The plus? NO HORNS. Easier to sell the offspring, easier to work in the shutes, still get the benefit of that heritage blood.

 

[austintgraf]

I've done tons of research on this seeing as I am highly into self-sufficiency and I study breeds of livestock and their care a majority of my spare time and this is what I recommend. Betweem your two cows of choice I love them both. I am also into preserving heritage breeds and both dexters and highlands are on the albc. Dexters are more geared towards what you are looking for. The milk great for such a small cow and depending on the lines you get you would have just enough for you to provide your family and the calf with milk or you may even have extra in which you could raise a bottle calf for meat or make cheese and butter if you would like and dexters also are meaty cows so would be a prime beef cow as well. Out of the two highlands are more geared to meat, they do produce rich milk but most cows especially heifers produce just enough for their calves not much extra, though they are very efficient on pasture and with their coat type would be a good choice to brave the cold. Both, if raised right are very calm small cows which are easy to work with. May I also recommend another breed or two. Milking Shorthorn is probably one of the best cows suited to milk and meat. They produce lots of milk but don't have the big boned frame of a dairy cow so you get lots of meat as well, typically very gentle and they were the dual purpose cow of choice during the victorian time period in europe. Also I would recommend Randall Linebackers. they are know to have wonderful milking abilities, though they are somewhat rare and difficult to find, and often times pricey because of this, there meat is good as well. All of these breeds will meet your needs but I feel that the Scottish Highland will disapoint you in milk yields. Hope this helps