Highland cattle
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Highland Cattle
A Highland cow on Dartmoor in England
A Highland cow on Dartmoor in England
Conservation status Domesticated
Country of origin Scotland
Distribution Worldwide (most common in Scotland and the US)
Use Meat
Traits
Weight
Male: 800 kilograms
Female: 500 kilograms
Height
Male: 106-120 centimetres (3.5-4ft)
Female: 90-106 centimetres (3-3.5ft)
Cattle
Bos (primigenius) taurus
Highland cows with a black coat
The hair on Highland cattle gives protection during the cold winters.
Highland cattle (Scottish Gaelic: Ḅ Ghàidhealach; Scots: Heilan coo) are a
Scottish cattle breed. They have long horns and long, wavy, wooly coats that are
coloured black, brown, yellow, white, gray, "silver" (looks white but with a
black nose), or tan, and they also may be brindled. Highlands are raised
primarily for their meat. highland cattle 1 highland cattle They originated in
the Highlands and Outer Hebrides islands of Scotland and were first mentioned in
the 6th century AD. The first herd book described two distinct types of Highland
cattle but, due to crossbreeding between the two, only one type now exists and
is registered. They have since been exported worldwide.
They are a hardy breed, having been bred to withstand the conditions in the
Scottish Highlands. Their long hair gives the breed its ability to overwinter.
Bulls can weigh up to 800 kilograms (1,800 pounds) and cows can up to 500
kilograms (1,100 pounds). Their milk generally has a very high butterfat
content, and their meat, regarded as of the highest quality, is gaining
mainstream acceptance as it is lower in cholesterol than other varieties of
beef.
Contents
1 Breed characteristics
1.1 Cold tolerance
1.2 Social behaviour
2 History
2.1 Development
2.2 Scotland
2.3 Australia
2.4 Canada
2.5 Denmark
2.6 Finland
2.7 United States
3 Modern farming
3.1 Commercial success
4 Showing
4.1 Breed standard
5 See also
6 References
6.1 Bibliography
7 External links
Breed characteristics
They have an unusual double coat of hair. On the outside is the oily outer
hair—the longest of any cattle breed—covering a downy undercoat. highland cattle
2 highland cattle This makes them well suited to conditions in the Highlands,
which have a high annual rainfall and sometimes very strong winds. highland
cattle 3 highland cattle Their skill in foraging for food allows them to survive
in steep mountain areas where they both graze and eat plants that many other
cattle avoid. They can dig through the snow with their horns to find buried
plants. highland cattle 4 highland cattle
Mature bulls can weigh up to 800 kilograms (1,800 pounds) and cows can weigh up
to 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds). Cows typically have a height of 90–106
centimetres (3–3.5 ft), and bulls are typically in the range of 106–120
centimetres (3.5–4 ft). highland cattle 5 highland cattle Mating occurs
throughout the year with a gestation period of approximately 277–290 days. Most
commonly a single calf is born, but twins are not unknown. Sexual maturity is
reached at about eighteen months. Highland cattle also have a longer expected
lifespan than most other breeds of cattle, up to 20 years. highland cattle 6
highland cattle
The hair color of Highland cattle can vary from black, brindled, red, yellow and
dun. highland cattle 7 highland cattle The coat colours are caused by alleles at
the MC1R gene (E locus) and the PMEL or SILV gene (D locus). highland cattle 8
highland cattle
They have a docile temperament and the milk has a high butterfat content, so
have traditionally been used as house cows. They are generally good-natured
animals but very protective of their young. highland cattle 7 highland cattle
Cold tolerance
All European cattle cope relatively well with low temperatures but Highland
cattle have been described highland cattle by whom? highland cattle as "almost
as cold-tolerant as the arctic-dwelling caribou and reindeer". highland cattle 9
highland cattle Conversely due to their thick coats they are much less tolerant
of heat than zebu cattle, which originated in South Asia and are adapted for hot
climates. highland cattle 10 highland cattle Highland cattle have been
successfully established in countries where winters are substantially colder
than Scotland such as Norway and Canada. highland cattle 11 highland cattle
Social behaviour
A fold of semi-wild Highland cattle was studied, over a period of 4 years. It
was found that the cattle have a clear structure and hierarchy of dominance,
which reduced aggression. Social standing depended on age and sex, with older
cattle being dominant to calves and younger ones, and males dominant to females.
Young bulls would dominate adult cows when they reached around 2 years of age.
Calves from the top ranking cow were given higher social status, despite minimal
intervention from their mother. Playfighting, licking and mounting were seen as
friendly contact. highland cattle 12 highland cattle highland cattle 13 highland
cattle
Breeding occurred in May and June, with heifers first giving birth at 2–3 years
old. highland cattle 12 highland cattle
History
Highland cattle, ca. 1890–1900.
Development
They descend from the Hamitic Longhorn, which were brought to Britain by
Neolithic farmers in the second millennium BC, as the cattle migrated northwards
through Africa and Europe. highland cattle 14 highland cattle Highland cattle
were historically of great importance to the economy, with the cattle being
raised for meat primarily and trade occurring over the Scottish-English border.
highland cattle 15 highland cattle
The 1885 herd book describes two distinct types of Highland cattle. One was the
West Highland, or Kyloe, originating and living mostly on the Western Islands,
which had harsher conditions. These cattle tended to be smaller, to have black
coats and, due to their more rugged environment, to have long hair. highland
cattle 16 highland cattle highland cattle 17 highland cattle These cattle were
named due to the practice of relocating them. The kyles were narrow straits of
water the cattle were driven across to get to market. highland cattle 15
highland cattle
The other type was the mainland; these tended to be larger because their
pastures provided richer nutrients. They came in a range of colours, most
frequently dun or red. highland cattle 18 highland cattle These types have now
been crossbred so that there is no distinct difference.
Since the early 20th century, breeding stock has been exported to many parts of
the world, especially Australia and North America.
Headshot of highland cattle
It is estimated that there are now around 15,000 Highland cattle in the United
Kingdom. highland cattle 17 highland cattle
Scotland
Originally, small farmers kept Highlands as house cows to produce milk and for
meat. highland cattle 19 highland cattle The Highland cattle registry ("herd
book") was established in 1885. This is the oldest herd book in the world, which
makes them the oldest registered cattle in the world. highland cattle 20
highland cattle Although a group of cattle is generally called a herd, a group
of Highland cattle is known as a "fold". This is because in winter, the cattle
were kept in open shelters made of stone called folds to protect them from the
weather at night. highland cattle 21 highland cattle They were also known as
kyloes in Scots. highland cattle 22 highland cattle
In 1954, Queen Elizabeth ordered Highland cattle to be kept at Balmoral Castle
where they are still kept today. highland cattle 23 highland cattle highland
cattle 24 highland cattle
Australia
Highland cattle were first imported into Australia by the mid-19th century by
Scottish migrants such as Chieftain Aeneas Ronaldson MacDonell of Glengarry,
Scotland. Arriving in Port Albert, Victoria, in 1841 with his clan, they
apparently drove their Highland cattle to a farm at Greenmount, on the Tarra
River, preceded by a piper. Samuel Amess, also from Scotland, who made a fortune
in the Victorian goldfields and became Mayor of Melbourne in 1869, kept a small
fold of black Highland cattle on Churchill Island. They were seen and survived
in Port Victoria during the late 1800s, but other folds were believed to have
died out in areas such as New South Wales. In 1988 the Australian Highland
Cattle Society was formed. Since then, numbers have been growing and semen is
being exported to New Zealand to establish the breed there. highland cattle 25
highland cattle
Canada
Highland cattle were first imported into Canada in the 1880s. Both the
Honourable Donald A. Smith, Lord Strathcona of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Robert
Campbell of Strathclair, Manitoba, imported one bull each. There were also
Highland cattle in Nova Scotia, Canada, in the 1880s. highland cattle 26
highland cattle However, their numbers were small until the 1920s when
large-scale breeding and importing began. highland cattle 27 highland cattle In
the 1950s cattle were imported from and exported to North America. The Canadian
Highland Cattle Society was officially registered in 1964 and currently
registers all purebred cattle in Canada. highland cattle 28 highland cattle
Towards the end of the 1990s, there was a large semen and embryo trade between
the UK and Canada. However, that has stopped, largely due to the BSE (mad cow
disease) outbreaks in the United Kingdom. Today, Highland cattle are mainly
found in eastern Canada. highland cattle 29 highland cattle The population of
Highland cattle for Canada and the United States of America combined is
estimated at 11,000. highland cattle 17 highland cattle
Denmark
The Danish Highland Cattle Society was established in 1987 to promote best
practices for the breeding and care of Highland cattle and to promote the
introduction of the breed into Denmark. highland cattle 30 highland cattle
Finland
The Highland Cattle Club of Finland was founded in 1997. Their studbooks show
importation of Highland cattle breeding stock to Finland, dating back to 1884.
The Finnish club states that in 2016, there were 13,000 Highland cattle in
Finland. highland cattle 31 highland cattle
United States
The first record of Highland Cattle being imported to the United States was in
the late 1890s. highland cattle 32 highland cattle The American Highland Cattle
Association was first organized in 1948 as the American Scotch Highland Breeders
Association, and now claims approximately 1100 members. highland cattle 33
highland cattle There are now eight regional Highland cattle associations in the
U.S. as well.
Modern farming
The meat of Highland cattle tends to be leaner than most beef because Highlands
are largely insulated by their thick, shaggy hair rather than by subcutaneous
fat. Highland cattle can produce beef at a reasonable profit from land that
would otherwise normally be unsuitable for agriculture. The most profitable way
to produce Highland beef is on poor pasture in their native land, the Highlands
of Scotland. highland cattle 18 highland cattle highland cattle 34 highland
cattle The meat is also gaining popularity in North America as the beef is low
in cholesterol. highland cattle 4 highland cattle
Commercial success
The beef from Highland cattle is very tender, but the market for high-quality
meat has declined. To address this decline, it is common practice to breed
Highland "suckler" cows with a more favourable breed such as a Shorthorn or
Limousin bull. This allows the Highland cattle to produce a crossbred beef calf
that has the tender beef of its mother on a carcass shape of more commercial
value at slaughter. highland cattle 35 highland cattle These crossbred beef
suckler cows inherit the hardiness, thrift and mothering capabilities of their
Highland dams and the improved carcass configuration of their sires. Such
crossbred sucklers can be further crossbred with a modern beef bull such as a
Limousin or Charolais to produce high quality beef. highland cattle 22 highland
cattle
Highland calves in pasture
Showing
For show purposes, Highland cattle are sometimes groomed with oils and
conditioners to give their coats a fluffy appearance that is more apparent in
calves; it leads some outside the industry to call them "fluffy cows". highland
cattle 36 highland cattle Many also call the cows "hairy cows" due to their
thick coats. highland cattle 4 highland cattle highland cattle 37 highland
cattle
Highland cattle bull, cow and calf on mount Secëda in Val Gardena, northern
Italy.
Breed standard
The breed standard is a set of guidelines which are used to ensure that the
animals produced by a breeder or breeding facility conform to the specifics of
the standardized breed. All registered Highland cattle must conform to it. The
breed standard was created in Inverness on 10 June 1885. There are four main
parts to the standard: the head, the neck, the back and body, and the hair.
Below is a concise list of the main points of the breed standard. highland
cattle 1 highland cattle A judge in a show will judge the cattle against a
provided breed standard. highland cattle 38 highland cattle
Head
Proportionate to body
Wide between eyes
Must naturally have horns, highland cattle 19 highland cattle but may be trimmed
in commercial rearing
Neck
Clear, without dewlap
Straight line to body
Back and Body
The back must be rounded
The quarters must be wider than the hips
The legs must be short and straight
Hair
The hair must be straight and waved
Sources: Highland Cattle Society, highland cattle 1 highland cattle
ScottishHighlandCattle.org highland cattle 38 highland cattle
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