Scottish Highland cows

Steamboat · Nov 22, 2017

Anyone here have any Highland "coos"? I am thinking about buying a bred heifer. I was in Scottish Highlands this summer and fell in love with the breed. I was wondering how they would survive the hot and humid summers we have here in the southern Virginia Piedmont. Also is AI is available.

Traditional Farmer · Nov 22, 2017

There have been several people around me here in the Central Piedmont that have tried them,the cows do fine but you're going to have sell them at private sale as they sell
very poorly at regular livestock auctions I go to at Madison,Harrisonburg and Winchester.Those and Dexter cattle were a popular fad a few years ago,don't hear much about them
these days as they kinda went the same route as Emus and Alpacas.

Bret4207 · Nov 22, 2017

We have a few around us. We're not as hot as your area, but it's real humid most summers and temps up to 100F+. They seem to do okay as long as theres shade. Marketing them is a bear though. If you dehorn them you'll do better.No one will ship them here because of the horns, same with longhorn cattle. OTOH, they thrive on real rough, brushy pasture more suited to goats.

4520BW · Nov 22, 2017

There is some in southern In. I see the for sale all the time.

544hydro · Nov 22, 2017

We have a few, as mentioned they are very hearty. We winter them in our woods. They also eat buckthorn which is a plus. Also mentioned that they don't do well at the sale barn. That is a true statement. They are docile and have never had a problem with the horns but they are intimidating. We bred ours to a polled Hereford and he has knocked the horns off all the calves. We just finished our 3rd calving season and never had to pull a calf and never had a mom not take to her calf. They are very good moms. I do like them and their looks but if selling them other than private sale try a different breed.

Leroy · Nov 22, 2017

Neighbor that passed a couple of years used to raise them and he would take to shows over several states. Don't know what happened to hid heard. This was in Auglaize county in western Ohio.

in-too-deep · Nov 22, 2017

Where's 730virgil? He has some.

Jim in Ma. · Nov 22, 2017

I go know that they don't do well with warm.
A man I know imported about 12 or 14 from Scotland years ago. He trier to keep them in a barn the first Winter and lost about a third of them. The next Winter he left them out in the pasture with only a wind break and they thrived.

chuck machinist · Nov 22, 2017

What part of the Southern Piedmont steamboat? I?m down here in Chesapeake

Dave H (MI) · Nov 22, 2017

Knew a lady that milked one. All that hair gets dirty. She said her kids watched her milk one day and would not drink the milk after that. Lot of "stuff" got in the milk.

JD2ACWD · Nov 22, 2017

I raise highlanders,i live in northwest wisconsin,they do very well during hot summers,they shed their coats in the summer and grow thick coats for winter

Dopp Creek · Nov 22, 2017

If you watched Braveheart and remember the warriors with blue faces charging at you like crazy people, that's my experience with Highland cattle. A local man moved off his land and said I could have the steer and mother cow. She wasn't bad but the steer was wild. We tried for eight days to lure him into a trailer. If we ever pushed hard he would jump the fence or turn around and charge us. About five days into it I told him he was going to leave in a trailer, either mine or the butchers. Ended up being the butcher. I'll never own one but I will say it was was the best tasting beef I have ever had though.

Steamboat · Nov 22, 2017

Mecklenburg County. On Buggs Island Lake.

Steamboat · Nov 22, 2017

I should have fessed up that I only want to raise them as "pets". Perhaps raise a couple calves and sell as pets also. At my age, that is the only "eye candy" that I can handle. LOL! (well maybe a Farmall H or a John Deere B).

Steamboat · Nov 22, 2017

I was in Scotland this summer, asked our guide whether the Romans invaded Scotland. He said "Nay they came up and saw the Highlanders in kilts and blue faces and ran home to Momma".

Naylorbros · Nov 22, 2017

The neighbor bought a few about 10 years ago. The ones he bought were insane. There is not a thing you could give me to have one of them on the place. The ones that he as raised are better but still very close to insane.
Ken

SuperHank · Nov 22, 2017

I had a good friend who was given a belted Galloway bull and kept it near Tampa of all places. He did fine even in summer but I can't help but think he would have been way better off in a cooler climate. He got lent to another herd for breeding and from what I understand worked himself to death. Nice,very easy to get along with.

Willow Lane · Nov 22, 2017

First, I must say greetings to everyone. I'm a long time reader, but have never posted before.
Now to the gentleman's question. We have approximately 60 head of Highlands and all can say is their personality is like any other animal. Treat them bad and you can have as wild an animal as you have ever seen. Treat them like a pet and that's what you will have. If you want to see some up close, go to http://www.highlandcattleusa.org/memberlist.aspx (you will have to do the "copy & paste" as I can't get a hyperlink to work) and find a breeder in your area. They can tell you all about them better than anyone can here, and I have never met any member who wouldn't spend all the time you want talking about the breed. . The only thing I will say is that getting one animal is a crime, they are more social than other breeds and they need the company. My email should be open, so feel free to respond directly to me,

LAA · Nov 22, 2017

Do they still have big fall and spring runs of stocker cattle out of Winchester? I hauled a good many out of there in the early to mid 70's, at the time Dad was making a couple of trips per month buying dairy heifers in Pa and Maryland but he would detour to the stocker sale at Winchester when the calf and yearling runs were on. I drove through on 81 recently and, from the interstate, Winchester looks like just another DC spill over community now days.

Traditional Farmer · Nov 22, 2017

Winchester still has has a lot of cattle when I go there its about 90 miles from me so about the only time I go is to take meat goats as its the best market for them in Virginia.
Usually take cattle to Harrisonburg.All of Northern VA has suffered from the DC area build up,your Federal Tax $$$ at work(LOL)

Bret4207 · Nov 23, 2017

(quoted from post at 12:23:18 11/22/17) I go know that they don't do well with warm.
A man I know imported about 12 or 14 from Scotland years ago. He trier to keep them in a barn the first Winter and lost about a third of them. The next Winter he left them out in the pasture with only a wind break and they thrived.

I had the same experience with sheep. Pneumonia kills a lot of animals kept in barns all winter.

buickanddeere · Nov 23, 2017

Lots of them here, particularly after the beer gardens open. http://www.kincardinescottishfestival.ca

Texasmark1 · Nov 23, 2017

Cross breed to some Brahman blood. Will solve that problem for you. Aberdeen Angus is a cool weather breed and bred ⅝ to ⅜ Brahman gives you the Brangus breed ( US registered) which thrives down here:

Fleshy and marbled nicely
Small boned
Naturally polled
Efficient feed converters
Early breeders
Calf cycle 11-12 months
Super moms
Bag up nicely
Gentile
Weather tolerant
Super demand
Super seller

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