That's one reason I quit raising them several years ago. No market unless you're selling the beef. I know a couple of people around here with contracts to supply to local butchers, but otherwise they're hit pretty hard at the sale barn. Which with the trend towards leaner meat, it could be lucrative. You'll just have to find your own niche. I've always said, they need to form a COOP and make an agreement with a large packer. Most Highlands breeders are small herds. Usually less than 10 animals. With that said, they do extremely well on poor forage. I'm thinking about buying a couple just to have around. We have 5 acres right around the house where it's mostly weeds, they make very good brush hogs. Another plus, they don't smell as bad as goats.
Beginner questions on keeping Highlands.
- Thread starter canoetrpr
- Start date
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MillIronQH
Well-known member
As a person with years of experiance I can tell you you have to be very careful dealing with Highlanders. I know. I'm married to a Campbell. :lol: Z
canoetrpr
Well-known member
Regarding finishing on grain or a mix of grain & hay/pasture. Bear in mind these questions may sound rather silly.
Do you just restrict access to the pasture - keep your steers elsewhere and offer them only hay and grain?
Just wondering about the logistics of it. Nice thing about grass fed is that all cattle can have access to the pasture with very little work on my part having to regulate any specific feeding schedule for the ones being finished.
I have an area which is a riding ring right now which I figured I would use when feeding hay in the spring time so that the pasture didn't get too clobbered when the ground was wet. Figure I could use this for steers I was finishing off. Could also try to time finishing off when there is snow on the ground and no access to pasture anyway and just mix hay and grain.
I don't really want to keep my cattle confined to small area when finishing them and I don't think this should be necessary right?
How do the rest of you handle the logistics of separating the cattle that you are finishing?
Do you just restrict access to the pasture - keep your steers elsewhere and offer them only hay and grain?
Just wondering about the logistics of it. Nice thing about grass fed is that all cattle can have access to the pasture with very little work on my part having to regulate any specific feeding schedule for the ones being finished.
I have an area which is a riding ring right now which I figured I would use when feeding hay in the spring time so that the pasture didn't get too clobbered when the ground was wet. Figure I could use this for steers I was finishing off. Could also try to time finishing off when there is snow on the ground and no access to pasture anyway and just mix hay and grain.
I don't really want to keep my cattle confined to small area when finishing them and I don't think this should be necessary right?
How do the rest of you handle the logistics of separating the cattle that you are finishing?
I ran my steer with the herd until he weighed 800 lbs, roughly 18 mths old. now he is in a lot by himself roughly 40'x60'. Some finish on grass unfortunately that isn't an option for me. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like, I'm still learning also 
