Use : fancier claim Scottish Highland ( also know as Highland ) beef is the best in the macrocosm : lean but well marbled , toothsome and flavorful , it command a premium price as niche - marketed beef . Because Highlands thrive on rasping forage ( they ’re browser app as well as grazers , a trait not seen in less - primitive breeds ) and they ’re outstandingly hardy and long - live , they ’re arguably the ideal beef cattle for grass - base and organic beef producers in Canada and the northerly states . Their woolly mammoth hides and hardy bone are another prima feature of speech . Pelts are readily saleable as lick robes and rugs ; long - tusk skull fetch a pretty monetary value as rampart décor ; and subdued , soft wintertime undercoat is a spinner delight – and it ’s comb out out , rather than shorn ! Folks who ride and repel cows ( and there are more and more of us every Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ) treasure Highlands for their eye - grabbing looks , satisfying physique , and calm dispositions .
History : Scottish Highland cattle ( also know as Highland Cattle ) have been a colorful part of Scotland ’s history since at least 600 A.D. Today ’s Highlands go down from two group of cattle : the small black or bridle Kyloes bring up on island off the west coast of Scotland and somewhat larger , mainly red or yellow cattle aboriginal to the Scottish mainland . Written records go back to the 1700 ’s . The first Highland Cattle Society was lease in Scotland as early as 1884 . A first lot of Highlands get in in the United States in 1893 and more survey during the 1920 ’s . They are currently the darlings of many a North American hobby farm where they provide tasty beef , fluffy undercoat fiber for spinning , and centre - confect for owners and passer - by .
Conformation : Scottish Highland cows ( also cognize as Highland Cattle ) are short - legged , wide , deep , and very solidly built . Most Highland cows weigh 1,000 to 1,300 British pound ; bulls and steer can weigh 2,000 pound or more . They have short , broad face ending in wide muzzles , with a thick shock of hair called a dossan that attain from their horn to a point just myopic of their nose . They also have strong , sturdy legs ; large hoof ; and long , dramatic horn . highland number in an regalia of solid color ranging from blanched to nigrify with bolshy , yellowness , dun , silver dun , and brindles in between . Their most spectacular characteristic is their bushy tomentum , a trait that make them appear prehistorical at first glance . Highlands are double - coated . Their long , coarse outer coat can farm up to 14 inches in length ; this in bit top a diffused , extremely insulative flat coat design to Highlands them toasty tender at temperature far below zero , even without shelter to shield them from blowing snow and meth .
Special Considerations / Notes : highland are fantastic Bos taurus . Treated kindly they are docile , friendly , easy to contain and handle , and they are intelligent to a fault . They are also exceptionally long - populate and highly rich . moo-cow often calve well into their later teens . Calves are small at birth , shit calving problems rare indeed . While ideal for Northern climates , Highlands also adapt well to the Mid - Western DoS and the Mid - South . In Southern climate , summer access to a pool for leisurely , midday soaking is powerfully advise .
