The highland breed is the oldest known to man and the first to appear in the earliest herd registry of 1884. Believed to have originated in the Western Isles and Highlands of Scotland, where the environment is harsh and severe. Highlanders have evolved into an extremely hardy breed, offering today's cattle industry many practical advantages.
A Majestic Breed
•distinguished by long, shaggy coats and elegant horns.
•Highlanders have two coats of hair.
•the inner is thick and wooly, and acts as a blanket to retain heat.
•the outer is long and shaggy, which sheds rain and protects the inner coat from becoming damp and cold.
•straight above and below, typically short-legged, deep of frame and varied in color.
•bulls weigh 1700-2000 lbs. at maturity, and cows weigh 1000-1300 lbs.
•docile and even tempered, they respond to human contact and are proven relatively easy to halter train and show.Economical
Summer Months
•Highlanders will survive comfortably on an ample supply of pasture with shand and access to fresh water.
•as natural foragers, they will often clean up what other cattle dislike.
•often purchased to reclaim overgrown pastures.
Winter Months
•hay or silage can be fed with no need for expensive grains.
•access to minerals will ensure that vitamin leves are maintained.
Being an exceptionally hardy breed, they can withstand extreme weather conditions and do not require housing, although a windbreak is recommended.Easy Keepers
•extremely hardy due to generations of existance in climates with poor feed.
•vaccinated against parasites and other diseases to ensure continuing good health.
Maternal Efficiency
•females conceive quickly, calve easily and are very protective mothers, making them outstanding brood cows.
•with a nice month gestation period, cows are expected to calve each year.
•calves are weaned from their mothers at around seven months of age, allowing the cow to recondition for her next calf.
•most females have their first calves at age three, and because of their longevity, continue breeding up to 17 years of age and beyond.
Delicious Lean Beef
•the long outer coat replaces the thick layer of fat found on most other breeds and provides enough protection to provides enough protection to produce lean, flavorful, marbled meat with little outside waste.
•independent laboratory tests show Highland beef to be about 90% lean compared to 81% for average grocery meat and is lower in cholesterol than many other meats.