Highland Cattle…Am I missing the point?

Gather App
Inventry
UnlistMe
C

ClinchValley

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
633
City & State/Province
East Tennessee
Someone I know is beginning to acquire a herd of these cattle. From the moment I heard, I have been kind of scratching my head. They seem hard to transport due to the crazy horns. They are small. Grow small. And from what I gather are hard to give away. Given, they are an old old breed. I am sure they have their place, such as very harsh climates. But It gets pretty dry and HOT here. Flies are terrible in summer.

They said quite a bit about their lack of calving issues. Plus, you could stock more per acre. I don't know if it would even out compared to full size cattle and the related profits.

I have looked online, they go for very little money.

To their defense, they have plenty of money, it could always be a fun thing for them. But when they first talked of getting cattle to replace their horses and goats, it seemed to me it was to make a little money off the farm. So I don't really know what to think. Obviously, to each their own.

Any insight?

There a benefit to introducing a little into a cross program?
 
Since you said they have plenty of money, I suspect they want them for the novelty and not for the income. Kinda like some people keep a herd of Longhorns.

(And you Longhorn fans, don't start beating up on me. I have one of them myself. If you like them and can make some money off of them, I'm happy for you, but there are some people that have them just because they like the horns and think they look pretty.)
 
If they find someone private treaty that wants them they can sell for a decent amount. The catch is finding someone that wants them. Friend of ours has some along with dexter crosses. The meat is only fit for grinding. Tough as wang leather doesn;t even come close to describing it.
 
I was thinking of getting some last year manly because you can get them real cheap and their supposed to have a lot of longevity i would only use cows in a cross bred program but if you can find the right people to sell them to you can make a lot of $$ there where some people selling grass fed highlander freezer beef for $7 lb when i was looking for cows last year
 
ez14":34q9tw56 said:
there where some people selling grass fed highlander freezer beef for $7 lb when i was looking for cows last year
Click to expand...
Barnum was right!
 
If they're mini highland, they're worthless. If they're standard sized highland, you can put a limousin or a black Angus bull on them. Make sure the bull's are low birthweight.
 
Weber Hickory Wood Chunks Outdoor Cooking Fuel, 4 lb – Premium BBQ Smoking & Grilling Chips for Rich, Subtly Sweet Flavor – Ideal for Beef, Lamb, Poultry & Pork – Long Lasting
See price on Amazon
Weber Hickory Wood Chunks Outdoor Cooking Fuel, 4 lb – Premium BBQ Smoking & Grilling Chips for Rich, Subtly Sweet Flavor – Ideal for Beef, Lamb, Poultry & Pork – Long Lasting
Old Potters Smoker Wood Chunks 13-16 lbs for Grilling, Smoking, and Wood Fire Cooking ~ 2 x 3 Inches, (Hickory, 790 Cu in.)
See price on Amazon
Old Potters Smoker Wood Chunks 13-16 lbs for Grilling, Smoking, and Wood Fire Cooking ~ 2 x 3 Inches, (Hickory, 790 Cu in.)
Hickory Pizza Oven Wood 6 Inch, 15 lbs Box – Kiln Dried & Bark-Free Firewood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ Smoking & Grilling – Premium Hickory Wood Logs for Ooni, Gozney, Solo Stove, Bertello
See price on Amazon
Hickory Pizza Oven Wood 6 Inch, 15 lbs Box – Kiln Dried & Bark-Free Firewood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ Smoking & Grilling – Premium Hickory Wood Logs for Ooni, Gozney, Solo Stove, Bertello
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 8” Splits (Approx 39.5 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
See price on Amazon
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 8” Splits (Approx 39.5 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 6” Splits (Approx. 42 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
See price on Amazon
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 6” Splits (Approx. 42 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
Greenworks 24V 6in BL Pruning Saw w/Auto Oiler, Tool Only
See price on Amazon
Greenworks 24V 6in BL Pruning Saw w/Auto Oiler, Tool Only
Old Potters Kiln Dried Firewood - Cherry, 1100 Cu. in, 16-18 Logs ~ 8" x 2.5" Logs. Solo Stove and Cooking Wood for Grilling, Smoking, and Firepits, Cherry.
See price on Amazon
Old Potters Kiln Dried Firewood - Cherry, 1100 Cu. in, 16-18 Logs ~ 8" x 2.5" Logs. Solo Stove and Cooking Wood for Grilling, Smoking, and Firepits, Cherry.
Heritage Smoke Wood Hickory Pizza Oven Wood with Fire Starter - Kiln Dried Firewood 6" Hardwood Logs for Brick Fire Pizza Ovens & Grills, 6 lb, Low Smoke, High Heat, Competition-Grade Clean Burn
See price on Amazon
Heritage Smoke Wood Hickory Pizza Oven Wood with Fire Starter - Kiln Dried Firewood 6" Hardwood Logs for Brick Fire Pizza Ovens & Grills, 6 lb, Low Smoke, High Heat, Competition-Grade Clean Burn
39" Fire Pits with Wood Storage for Outside, Large Wood Burning Outdoor Fireplace with Chimney, Mesh Spark Screen & Fire Poker, Idea for Backyard, Patio, Party, Camping, Picnic
See price on Amazon
39" Fire Pits with Wood Storage for Outside, Large Wood Burning Outdoor Fireplace with Chimney, Mesh Spark Screen & Fire Poker, Idea for Backyard, Patio, Party, Camping, Picnic
Smoak Firewood Cooking Wood Mini Splits - USDA Certified Kiln Dried Pizza Oven Wood, Grilling Wood, Smoking Wood, BBQing Wood (8inch Pieces, 25-30lbs 1728 Cubic in - Hickory)
See price on Amazon
Smoak Firewood Cooking Wood Mini Splits - USDA Certified Kiln Dried Pizza Oven Wood, Grilling Wood, Smoking Wood, BBQing Wood (8inch Pieces, 25-30lbs 1728 Cubic in - Hickory)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change.
a lot of folks that only want one or 2 cows get them. Homesteaders use them to milk also. It a niche market and a pasture ornament. To tell the truth is my WIFE did the picking of cows for me she would have a pasture full of them dang things. Women think they are cute.
 
I see the crosses go through the sale barn from time to time. Some are easy to spot just from the hair do. They get hammered pretty bad from what I’ve seen. Seems it would be REAL tough to make money off of them, even with the cheap initial cost.
 
M.Magis":3vg6559k said:
I see the crosses go through the sale barn from time to time. Some are easy to spot just from the hair do. They get hammered pretty bad from what I’ve seen. Seems it would be REAL tough to make money off of them, even with the cheap initial cost.
Click to expand...
Yes Highland X British crosses get hammered so hard, but highland X continental crosses you won't know their momma is a highland. Seen several Char X Highland and Sim X Highland crosses...not much hair like a straight highland and they add more frame in the calves.
 
The only good thing as far as I'm concerned is the little calves look like ewoks.
 
I have a very good friend who has them and loves / hates them. He thinks his are hardy, but his conception rates have been lower than he wants -- so, I'm not sure how he gets to thinking of them as hardy. Maybe he just started out with lower quality Highlands than those ones that other people have. He isn't a big guy; I know he likes their smaller frame and hasn't had any calving problems.

Also, Highland beef has never fared very in our blind taste tests.
 
All I knows is that they do excellent in horn markets and rodeo stock markets. We brought a highland skull last fall, still at my buddy's for whitening it. It has very nice set of long horns.I
 
If it makes them happy, or brings them joy, then it's fine. I get the feeling about this time of year every year. Just cut back to my best 25 cows. Feed less hay, calve less cows just enjoy having them. I can see why somebody would want a few. Even if it was a novelty breed.
 
Bigfoot":fhxv4uho said:
If it makes them happy, or brings them joy, then it's fine. I get the feeling about this time of year every year. Just cut back to my best 25 cows. Feed less hay, calve less cows just enjoy having them. I can see why somebody would want a few. Even if it was a novelty breed.
Click to expand...
You're better off with NOT breeding them. You can't give away the highland calves for free and it just turns a small peaceful herd into a big feral inbred herd which is common issue around here with highland folks. Highland cows used to be $200-$300 cows back in old days.
 
Hmm... one of my kids brought me a can of haggis (yeah, I know 'can'... not the real deal) ... Highland beef ground up with liver, oats, barley, onion, stuffed in a rumen/reticulum and cooked up (Yum!)... served with sides of 'neeps & tatties' (turnips & taters), it was OK... but kinda reminded me of the ol' Ken-L Ration dog food we used to feed back in the 1960s...
 
Lucky_P":301kavlx said:
Hmm... one of my kids brought me a can of haggis (yeah, I know 'can'... not the real deal) ... Highland beef ground up with liver, oats, barley, onion, stuffed in a rumen/reticulum and cooked up (Yum!)... served with sides of 'neeps & tatties' (turnips & taters), it was OK... but kinda reminded me of the ol' Ken-L Ration dog food we used to feed back in the 1960s...
Click to expand...
I thought it had the thalamus and lungs in it too. YUMMY sounding stuff
 
Have friends here that do a CSA program: Veggies, eggs, lamb, pork, beef, poultry. They raise the Highlanders -- that's their beef product, all grass fed. They get at least double the $$ I get selling my 1/4s and 1/2s, and do the "meat bundles" packages.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top