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What colors do the Highlands
come in? What colors to Highlands come in?There are many variations in color of the Highlands. The colors below are the ones recognized by the American Highland Cattle Association (AHCA): Red A good friend of mine always said if you choose your cattle by the color you might as well stay in the truck. :-) Are Highlands pure bred or are they a cross breed?Highlands are the oldest registered breed of cattle with the first herd book being established in 1884. Their adaptability to severe changes in weather insured their longevity. Where did they originate?This question always makes me wonder about some people. The name Scotch Highland Cattle should explain where they come from but to be exact, the Highland breed has lived for centuries in the rugged remote Scottish Highlands. The extremely harsh conditions created a process of natural selection, where only the fittest and most adaptable animals survived to carry on the breed. Originally, there were two distinct classes: the slightly smaller and usually black Kyole, whose primary domain was the islands off the west coast of northern Scotland; the other a larger animal generally reddish in color, whose territory was the remote Highlands of Scotland. Today, both of these strains are regarded as one breed-The Highland. Why do you raise them?Sometimes when a momma is over protective with her calf I ask myself this same question. Highlands are exceptionally beautiful. A herd in green pastures stops traffic. Compared to other cattle there are several reasons Highlands are a cut above the rest. Highlands require little in the way of shelter, feed supplements, or expensive grains to achieve and maintain good condition and fitness. In fact, Highland cattle seem to enjoy conditions in which many other breeds would perish. Cold weather and snow have little effect on them. Less than ideal pasture or range land is another reason to consider the Highland breed. It has been said that the Highland will eat what other cattle pass by, and get fat on it! The Highland is also an excellent browser, able to clear a lot of brush with speed and efficiency. The Highland is a disease resistant breed, and they do not stress easily. Other bovine diseases affect the Highland less also, due to the genetic advantages they have achieved. Are they mean?
Are they all bulls?All Highlands have horns both the bulls and the cows. You can usually tell how old a growing calf is by the length of their horns. Bulls horns normally grow outward and curve down and around. Cows horns grow outward then curve up or back. Below is a picture of a bull on the left and a cow on the right. Do you notice the difference in the horns?
~ special thanks to Naomi Ewing of Run A Muk Ranches in Washington State for this article for our site. |
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Northern Divide Highlands ~ Larry & Vicki Brittian~ 12247 Scenic Hwy NE ~Blackduck MN 56630~ (218) 835-4376-home~ (218) 835-6337-business~e-mail |
Despite long hair and unusual appearance, the Highland is considered an
even-tempered animal - bulls as well as cows. They can also be
halter trained as easily as any other breed, even more so be cause of the
Highlands superior intelligence. As with any other animal there are good
and bad temperaments. I've come to the conclusion, it has a lot to
do with the way they are raised and handled. A bad tempered animal will
not be allowed to stay on our farm. 
