Highland Advice

[rain dance]

I made a regretful decision and bought some highland cows for what seemed cheap even after seeing them go for $.35 per lb at the auctions (horns and uncut).

How good/bad are these things crossed up with conventional cattle? I have them in with my other cows and a Hereford bull. Will they make make a halfway decent terminal cross with a good bull on them?

How much are the straight bred calf's discounted when fed out? I know the horns will get you major dock-age at the sale barn and right know I'm planning on dehorning the calf's and feeding them out with my own corn. Planning for 1000 lb steer at 16-18 months. I know these are not going to be viewed as the best cattle but seems to me with the horns taken off should at least make decent ground beef.

 

[dun]

Friend of mine just sold some half highland half angus cows with angus sired calves at side for 800 a pair. I guess that isn;t too bad since the original offer was 600 a pair. Everything was polled

 

[Muddy]

Hereford X highland cows are pretty good momma cows and you can put any bull on them to produce good feeder calves. But straight highlands and 1/2 highlands do poorly at the sale barns even if they're polled. A member on here has a Polled highland bull on Sim influenced and Belgian Blue influenced cows and she has nice calves, just wish they were less hairy.

 

[WalnutCrest]

A friend of mine raises Highland and Highland X cattle. I think he has a hard job.

 

[rain dance]

Hi all thanks for the replies. Most specifically I'm looking to find out if its even worth feeding out these full blood highlands and taking them in to the auction where packers bid. I want to know from a packers perceptive if they are worth anything to them without the horns. I could live with a discount of of 20-30 cents per lb and chalk it up as a lesson learned. If I'm going to be discounted over half then I'm not going to waist my time maybe ill just give them away as pets or something.

 

[Muddy]

Even without horns, the straight highlands are still worthless at the sale barns. Just drop them at there after weaned them and get your beer money.

 

[Margonme]

Even without horns, the straight highlands are still worthless at the sale barns. Just drop them at there after weaned them and get your beer money.

Well. Beer money is no small thing.

 

[WalnutCrest]

Advice: Grow-em up for a little while longer, haul them to the butcher yourself, tell them you want them to give you the skulls, buy a bunch of beetles and let them clean the skulls off, sell the skulls with the horns attached and have them grind the entire carcass in to ground beef and sell it off the farm.

 

[Muddy]

Advice: Grow-em up for a little while longer, haul them to the butcher yourself, tell them you want them to give you the skulls, buy a bunch of beetles and let them clean the skulls off, sell the skulls with the horns attached and have them grind the entire carcass in to ground beef and sell it off the farm.

It will take few years for them to get a respectable horn size on them. The customer gave me a nice highland skull with good sized horns was a 7 years old steer.

 

[jcarkie]

You can also check the highland association and find some interested in that breed also some small hobby farmers use them as a decoration for their property. I think they look cool in a cold climate in the south they look miserable. We have breeders here in AR

 

[townfarmer]

I'm planning on dehorning the calf's and feeding them out with my own corn. Planning for 1000 lb steer at 16-18 months. I know these are not going to be viewed as the best cattle but seems to me with the horns taken off should at least make decent ground beef.

Advice: Grow-em up for a little while longer, haul them to the butcher yourself, tell them you want them to give you the skulls, buy a bunch of beetles and let them clean the skulls off, sell the skulls with the horns attached and have them grind the entire carcass in to ground beef and sell it off the farm.

Not sure why you would turn the entire carcass to ground meat. They grow very slowly but the meat quality is excellent. In the UK you pay a premium for Scottish highland beef. A lot of the top Chefs in the UK including Marco Pierre White claim Highland beef as good as any.

Andrew

 

[dun]

I'm planning on dehorning the calf's and feeding them out with my own corn. Planning for 1000 lb steer at 16-18 months. I know these are not going to be viewed as the best cattle but seems to me with the horns taken off should at least make decent ground beef.

Advice: Grow-em up for a little while longer, haul them to the butcher yourself, tell them you want them to give you the skulls, buy a bunch of beetles and let them clean the skulls off, sell the skulls with the horns attached and have them grind the entire carcass in to ground beef and sell it off the farm.

Not sure why you would turn the entire carcass to ground meat. They grow very slowly but the meat quality is excellent. In the UK you pay a premium for Scottish highland beef. A lot of the top Chefs in the UK including Marco Pierre White claim Highland beef as good as any.

Andrew

Bear in mind that the taste in the US for beef is way different than it is in the UK.

 

[ANAZAZI]

Cross them with little hair and lots of muscle. Piedmontese, Romagnola, Blonde d'acuitaine, Bazadais...

 

[M-5]

Couldn't you shave them??

 

[Muddy]

Cross them with little hair and lots of muscle. Piedmontese, Romagnola, Blonde d'acuitaine, Bazadais...

:shock: :shock: I surely won't use them on average highlands nowadays. It seems that the highlands are getting smaller and smaller.

 

[ANAZAZI]

Cross them with little hair and lots of muscle. Piedmontese, Romagnola, Blonde d'acuitaine, Bazadais...

:shock: :shock: I surely won't use them on average highlands nowadays. It seems that the highlands are getting smaller and smaller.

Highlands calve even Charolais cross calves. The ones I suggested are better, even the Romagnola which is the worst of my four examples, the other three giving long and slick calves.

 

[Muddy]

Cross them with little hair and lots of muscle. Piedmontese, Romagnola, Blonde d'acuitaine, Bazadais...

:shock: :shock: I surely won't use them on average highlands nowadays. It seems that the highlands are getting smaller and smaller.

Highlands calve even Charolais cross calves. The ones I suggested are better, even the Romagnola which is the worst of my four examples, the other three giving long and slick calves.

Have you ever seen the actual size of highlands in United States? They are basically same size of Dexters. Standard highlands are getting rarer nowadays and many highland breeders are downsizing the highlands.

 

[rain dance]

I don't have enough to justify getting a another bull with a real slick coat to keep the hair down though I do think with the right bull you could get a halfway ok terminal cross and a great maternal one out of them. Highlands lines must vary in size most of mine are over 1000 lbs and some even have a slick summer coat. A lot of people said you will never be able to cross a highland they are to small and took the statement back when they saw mine.

Hmm maybe I could put a add out to borrow a bull like a char or any of the other breeds mentioned so I won't have to give the cows away for nothing.

 

[Muddy]

Seen few Highland X Charolais crosses few years ago, they looks good and a bit heavier than straight highlands but the highland influence is pretty strong. You ain't gonna fooling the buyers with 1/2 highland calves unless the calves are 1/4 highland 3/4 beef.

 

[townfarmer]

When we had highland cows we crossed them with murray grey, angus, charolais and brangus. The calves with the least highland character and the best growth were the Brangus cross calves. You'd struggle to detect much highland characteristics in them, particularly in summer when they'd slicked off.

Our experience has been that the F1 highland cows are outstanding and the F1 highland steers are always pretty ordinary. Although I think that Rain dance's Hereford/highland calves will be good eating for the home freezer.

Andrew