Highland Cattle?

[His#1Girl]

Does anyone out there acutally have any Highland cattle? I've read a bit about them in lot of the homesteading magazines, and I was wondering if they're really as great as every one says they are. Are they even affordable? Do they make a good turnover? Is there any type of market for them? Are they gentle? Evil? ANyone have firsthand experience with them? Theses animals have caught my interest and I'd just like to know a little more about them.

[affenpinschermom]

We've raised highland cattle for over 20 years, first in the UP of Michigan and now here in Ky. They have been great, easy to handle, affordable, hardy, great mothers, gentle, beautiful, I could go on and on. The beef is great. We have had some beautiful rugs made out of their hides. We have had no bad experiences.

[Patt]

We have them and so do several others here on the forum. Do a search here and you find several threads about them. I would start with the American Highland Cattle association website:
http://www.highlandcattle.org/

[Muskrat]

No, they are not evil. My bulls tend towards mellow rather than docile. But a Highland cow with a new calf can and will stomp the ever-livin' stuffings out of a person, dog, or Ford Ranger truck that gets too near before she's ready for them to get near. This is balanced by the fact that I can't remember the last time I had to pull a Highland calf and I've never lost a Highland calf to a predator.

The horns are there. Most of mine manage theirs somewhat as if they're wearing an oversized hat. They are just a part of the ensemble and you gotta be careful not to go through doorways too abruptly. Others can wield their horns with a skill D'Artagnan would envy.

Some buyers don't like to buy shaggy animals. The coat does conceal the carcass quality to a certain extent. Highland bulls put on dairy cows make for some truly nice steers. If your plan is for the beef market, do some careful checking before you commit too many resources.

They are foragers par excellence and graze rough. They make for very profitable fall calves. Once the calves are dry, Tennessee winters don't seem to even get their attention.

The meat requires a different set of cooking skills because it's lean. But it's worth it.

Shaggy cows equals the occasional hair in the milk. Well, more than occasionally actually. Or maybe they're just more visible. I find a shop-vac applied before milking does wonders for the problem.

Check the other threads as suggested. I didn't start with Highlands with the idea of making money, but I found that I did. I didn't start on a shoestring though and I never had to depend on them to make the land payment.

[Christiaan]

I have a Highland cow to produce beef for our use and to sell. I sell the beef for $5/lb plus c/w and never have enough. Won't have a steer next year because she produced a heifer last year. The heifer sold for $1450. It pays to buy registered stock! She'll be dropping her calf within the next month. I won't have to be there, in fact she wouldn't let me. Excellant mothers. Great beef, just remember for the roasts to go low and slow. Steaks you can grill, broil, or panfry like any other except never, never, NEVER go beyond medium. There is not enough marbeling and you'll end up with very tasty shoe leather.

[lilsassafrass]

I too have raised highland cattle for about 20 years... I always have a waiting list for beef .. about two years out right now ... many years have to buy in feeders to meet my demand ...
I would disagree on cooking the meat .. it depends on how you finish them
if you grass finish then no you arent going toget the marbling , unless they were on a alfalfa pasture , but if you corn finish you will result in meat that is as fine as any prime well marbled ...

temprement well most are pretty mellow .. trouble is with highlands are they are smart ....I tend to put in the freezer any that are not easygoing or easy to handle withthe exception of cows who sho bad temper around newborn calves thats expected .. but then I rarely need to get in and handle newborns unless I have to treat something such as flystrike .. which they are prone.

they certainly are beautiful , fun to show

I winter mine outside .... more of a pain for me than teh cows ... as long as you have windbreak not much of a problem for the girls
they will brush and browse feed .. but do much better on good pasture still i use that browsing trait to clean up fencelines in the winter of hay meadows as tehy will knaw down young saplings even when they are getting second cutting hay .

you want to have stout barn furniture ... they are hard on that stuff
horns will sorta tear things up .. and as I have mentioned before they can leap like deer when so inclined ... had a steer one time from a standstill leap over a six foot board fence when I was trying to load him in the trailer to take to the butcher .. could they be psychic as well ?

you can certainly clip their udders and bellies to help with teh hair problem in the milk .. I rarely do to my old milker fo home use whats a little hair .. it strains out .. never would sell milk that way though

all in all i much prefer my highlands over any other breed i have had over the years

Paula
Hyde Park Farm

[Christiaan]

Thanks for mentioning the corn finishing, I only grass feed. By the latest numbers, Highland are now the fifth most popular beef breed, with a bullet. Unfortunately, IMHO, this is causing breeders to breed for larger stock. This to me defeats the purpose of the breed for homesteaders. We need a small, self-sufficient animal that will produce high quality beef on marginal land with low cost food supplementation. The steer we butchered last month at 24 months gave us 402 lbs/hanging weight. To me, this is an ideal size. The folks I bought my cow from are trying to get 800 lb/ hanging weight!!! Ridiculous.