# Anyone milk Highlands?



## Guest (Jul 6, 2007)

I'll try to ask this question again. I asked it last night but must have forgotten to push the save button! :shrug: 

Anyway, I've been pondering on the ideal of getting me a milking cow. But the land I have access to is mainly nothing but brushy forest. So I've been reading that Highlands are excellent brush foragers. But I haven't found any info about if they make good milkers or not. So does anyone here milk Highlanders? If so, do they give a good volume for their size? How about the cream/fat content? I would like enough to keep me supplied with butter and cheese. 

Thanks for any info you can give me. R.H. in Okla.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Sorry RH. I"ve never even seen one of them up close.


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## Guest (Jul 7, 2007)

francismilker, I can't send you a private message back cause your box is full. You will have to empty some of it. Sorry!


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## Christiaan (Mar 13, 2004)

I have a year old Highland heifer who will be our milker in the future. Highlands were traditionally used as milkers by the Scottish crofters. They have a very high butterfat milk, 8 to 10% and produce a high enough volume to feed both a calf and a family. Our Highland cow dropped her calf last week and it still can't keep up with the volume she is producing. Unfortunately, she hasn't been trained to be a milker.
The only problems I have heard mentioned about milking Highlands is their hair can get in the milk. But I can't see that trimming the hair around the udder would be that much of a problem, and you could also use a covered goat pail to help keep debris out of the milk.
I love my Highlands. They are fun to look at, are easygoing, great mothers, wonderful at keeping undergrowth down and produce absolutely delicious meat.


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## piglady (Sep 28, 2006)

We raise highland too and find they are the perfect cow for our place. We have never tried to milk but we check the bag from time to time and they stand patiently while my husband tries to squirt me with the stream. I don't think it would be that hard to train them. Of course they are never going to give what a milk cow would give but then if you need more milk, just milk more cows.


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## darbyfamily (Mar 16, 2005)

I have looked and looked and cant find anything on the butterfat content of highlands... but Ive heard on the www from more than one person now about the very high butterfat content.. Does that mean that gallon for gallon of milk, you get more butter yield than from any other cows milk?

I found a chart, and the highest bf content that any of them listed was 4.9%....so Im gawking at the possibility of 8-10%... 

where would a person go to find out more about the Highland cattle and where to buy them? My dh thinks they are just too adorable for words! but how would they do in the Kansas heat? and are they bigger cattle? or smaller like Dexters? Could you cross Dexters and Highlands? not that you'd want to...but we want some dexters, and dh would love to have highlands too...and then again, I sure love the mini jerseys too... ROFL and wow, are those mini belteds ever adorable! can I have one of each?


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

my dh's uncle raises them in michigan, but according to him the pres of the association raises them in springfield mo...I think that may be as far south as you'd want to take them heat wise...but it should not be hard to locate info if you put in highlands and springfield i think...


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## piglady (Sep 28, 2006)

Do a google for heartland highland and you will get the web site for the local chapter. I don't think it's that much warmer in KS than it is here in S. MO. They shed their long hair in the summer just like a dog. They are not as big as an angus but they are not a miniture either. We love our highlands for so many reasons. They are very hardy animals, great moms, little birthing problems, eat anything and get fat on it as they say.


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2007)

Well from what I've read they are being raised all the way down into Texas. So I'm just one state up and toward the top of the state so I shouldn't have any problems with heat. Also, the forrested property should provide plenty of shade and I have a small creek running through the property. So they should stay cooler then most cattle in this part of the state. I've also read that blood circulates through their long horns which helps keep them cool also. 

Darby family, they are smaller like the Dexters but they are not minitures. 

Christiaan, although I growed up milking our milk cow by hand, I'm planning on to hopefully purchase a automatic milker setup. So that if for some reason I can't do the milking (vacation, work, etc.) then maybe someone will fill in for me and it will be easier for them. 

Thanks everyone for your info.


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## arcticow (Oct 8, 2006)

There are several in milk here, sold three to a family milking two now. On decent feed, w/grain, 2-3 gals. per day. Maybe more, maybe a little less. Cream line like a Jersey. They will browse, but they ain't goats, so don't expect same results- still need fed like cows.


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## Christiaan (Mar 13, 2004)

http://www.highlandcattleusa.org/ National association
http://www.midwesthighlands.org/ Midwest association
http://www.heartlandhighlandcattleassociation.org/ Heartland association

These should help for starters. Highlands would have no problems with your climate as long as they can have shade. They love to browse and can turn an overgrown woodland into a wooded parkland in no time. 
I love mine for their looks, but they also produce some of the finest beef in the world. They are extremely easy to raise, very hardy, calve easily, very maternal (predators beware!), friendly, curious, and beautiful. What more could you want?


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## de Molay (Sep 23, 2006)

I have milked our Highlands when they have a calf. The milk is extremely rich. Highlands are very docile and easy to handle. They can be wicked little kickers if you ---- them off. Move very slow around them and stay calm. Or just stand amongst them still and they will come up and rub on you and lick at you. We have about 15 head of purebreds and after quitting commercial cow/calf, I would have no other breed. I don't know what a vet is anymore. Our oldest cow, Old Queen Mary. Is 19 years old and just quit calving last year. She put thousands of pounds of beef on the table in 18 years. Her horns are about 3 feet across. They shed their hair in hot weather, and here in Alberta they calve alone at minus 20 to 30 degrees. They are hell on predators. My old red heeler Rolly is totally bewildered by them, if he runs to heel they kick if he tries to head them, they use their horns. And you cannot separate them from their calves. If you try to push them with the dogs, the cows with calves leave and the dry cows turn to fight. They are incredible.


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## Guest (Jul 10, 2007)

de Molay said:


> I have milked our Highlands when they have a calf. The milk is extremely rich. Highlands are very docile and easy to handle. They can be wicked little kickers if you ---- them off. Move very slow around them and stay calm. Or just stand amongst them still and they will come up and rub on you and lick at you. We have about 15 head of purebreds and after quitting commercial cow/calf, I would have no other breed. I don't know what a vet is anymore. Our oldest cow, Old Queen Mary. Is 19 years old and just quit calving last year. She put thousands of pounds of beef on the table in 18 years. Her horns are about 3 feet across. They shed their hair in hot weather, and here in Alberta they calve alone at minus 20 to 30 degrees. They are hell on predators. My old red heeler Rolly is totally bewildered by them, if he runs to heel they kick if he tries to head them, they use their horns. And you cannot separate them from their calves. If you try to push them with the dogs, the cows with calves leave and the dry cows turn to fight. They are incredible.


Just wondering, when growing up we only milked the cow in the evening. We kept the calf penned up all day without the momma cow. In the evening when she would come to the barn and we would let her through the shoot and milk one side of her while she ate. Then we would turn her loose in with the calve so he/she could have his supper. We would then leave them together all night and in the morning before going to school I would let her out to graze all day and keep the calf in the pen. 

So with that in mind how easy will it be to seperate the two. I do remember early in the milking stage the cow wouldn't wonder off too far from the pen but as the days went on she would graze a little futher out. But I can't remember how many weeks/months we would milk her before letting her dry up and I can't remember if we kept the calf in the pen during that whole duration of milking. 

You tend to forget a lot in 30 years! :shrug:


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## de Molay (Sep 23, 2006)

You have to be set up for dairy or milking to do that, as I said, I used to be into commercial Angus/Hereford. You would have to keep that cow and calf on a small pasture close by the milking stall area. And each evening walk them both in, tie her then cut out the calf, until after milking. Then put them back together. You would also have to put the calf on some kind of supplemental and maybe give the cow oats etc. Until the calf was weaned. Or take the calf off early and keep milking the cow.


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## lilsassafrass (May 13, 2002)

I milk a Highland , for family its just the right amount of milk and then some ,I only milk once a day and let the calf in the other half of the day .
Beef cows by nature have a very high butterfat %, makes up for decrease in volumne of milk of the dairy breeds .It was common practice back around here in ne ohio before WWII to keep a herd of beeves to milk for the creameries .. back when butter and cheese was the main goal of dairying and not fluid milk and milk byproducts .My IH floor model seperator came from one such small farmer down the road who kept a herd of herefords for just that.
I milked a highland X holstein cross for almost 10 years , this year I heifer broke a fullblood highland .. she is doing very well . Although I havent been involved with dhi for many years (goats then ) I can tell you that this current cow is running at least 15 % butterfat and maybe more , I get better than a quart of cream per gallon ,and then very little buttermilk from that when I churn 
we shall see how her lactation progresses she calved in march .

Paula 
Hyde Park Farm


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## de Molay (Sep 23, 2006)

The genetics of a Highland is the most beautiful thing. They improve all breeds. They are also the basis of all British breeds. These are the breeds that opened the west of the USA and Canada in the beginning. They are the best kind of mothers. They throw small calves and bring more pounds of beef to market than all other breeds. The Highlander Crofter's or small farmers turned them out to rustle for themselves in the fall, and nature did the rest. Those that could not calve without assistance perished along with their offspring. It was one of the harshest breeding programs in history of domesticated cattle. Those calves without the jam to get up and suckle perished. Those who could not defend their offspring perished. Those who were not intelligent enough to accept help from a man perished. Highland cows are so attuned to nature that they will actually forgo breeding in a bad year. This is a documented fact and very unusual in nature. They are the Oldest registered breed of cattle in the world. Inspite of the horn's they are the quietest cattle I have worked with in over 50 years. I use their horns like handlebars to steer them around. Their metabolism is such and they are so thrifty that you dare not give them grains or you will surely kill them with kindness. They will fatten on good grass and do well on poor. They will actually browse like a moose. Although on their behalf I do not recommend that only in a survival situation. The Alberta Government actually did a study over some years of Highland crossbreds. Alberta has the most beef in North America next to Texas. What they found is that a Highland cow crossbred to a Hereford will gain more weight per day on a crossbred steer than any other breed existing today. At weaning the calf will be bigger than the Highland/Hereford cross cow. Google Manyberries and Highland cross cows. Manyberries is an Alberta Goverment experimental farm here in Alberta. Anyways, I sure love Highland beef.


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## farmerkhaiti (Jan 3, 2015)

I'd love to hear any updates if any of you care to share!


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## bhawkwind (Jul 29, 2009)

Wasn't on the original thread, but I milk a Highland and a Highland Dexter cross.
The Highland is 8 going on 9, calved in July/August time period. We separate at night, the calf goes in an adjoining pasture with our rams. To make this happen we scooted him out while she was still in the stanchion one evening. There was a bit of lowing, but being able to see and smell him (he wasn't in any distress) was apparently enough. (Note that I almost lost a little goat we recently turned out with them because he startled the calf who is at least twice his height - mom was hunting that dummy goat!) She gives us almost a half gallon per day. There was a learning curve, and just a note, if they have a scrape or blister or whatever, vinegar in your wash will irritate and inspire kicks/scrapes with hooves. Just sayin. I bribe with grain - I know, I'm bad.
The HiDex cross is about the same age, we got her after she calved last February, and she's down to 3/4 of a quart (sigh - not really worth it, but I have to get everything ready anyway!) She actually has awfully small teats, but I think that's like any cow - if you're silly and don't pay attention to normal "is it milkable" signs, you get hand cramps. She behaves like she was trained at a commercial dairy though - once she gets locked in and I scoot in, her feet are cemented to the floor unless I tap her hoof to ask her to move it back.
Both my girls are open - sigh. Anybody in Fenton, Michigan wanting to practice AI?


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## Wintersong Farm (Aug 22, 2007)

I have a couple of bull calves that are half Dexter, 1/4 Highland, and 1/4 Holstein if you want to breed naturally instead of AI.


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

bhawkwind said:


> Wasn't on the original thread, but I milk a Highland and a Highland Dexter cross.
> The Highland is 8 going on 9, calved in July/August time period. We separate at night, the calf goes in an adjoining pasture with our rams. To make this happen we scooted him out while she was still in the stanchion one evening. There was a bit of lowing, but being able to see and smell him (he wasn't in any distress) was apparently enough. (Note that I almost lost a little goat we recently turned out with them because he startled the calf who is at least twice his height - mom was hunting that dummy goat!) She gives us almost a half gallon per day. There was a learning curve, and just a note, if they have a scrape or blister or whatever, vinegar in your wash will irritate and inspire kicks/scrapes with hooves. Just sayin. I bribe with grain - I know, I'm bad.
> The HiDex cross is about the same age, we got her after she calved last February, and she's down to 3/4 of a quart (sigh - not really worth it, but I have to get everything ready anyway!) She actually has awfully small teats, but I think that's like any cow - if you're silly and don't pay attention to normal "is it milkable" signs, you get hand cramps. She behaves like she was trained at a commercial dairy though - once she gets locked in and I scoot in, her feet are cemented to the floor unless I tap her hoof to ask her to move it back.
> Both my girls are open - sigh. Anybody in Fenton, Michigan wanting to practice AI?


 You can also rent a highland bull. Try asking highland owners.
http://highlandcattleusa.org/memberlist.aspx list of reg. Highland owners.


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