We have finally settled on the type of cattle we are going to breed at Willowbrook. It was a close competition between Highland Cattle and Belted Galloways, but in the end the large horns and the extra long shaggy coats of the Highlands tipped them into pole position. This will bring to a close our stocking of the
rare breeds farm, as we will then be at full capacity and will have only rare breeds on site, having sold on our Herefords.
Highland cattle or
kyloe are a Scottish breed of beef cattle
with long horns and long wavy coats. The can be coloured black, brindled (red and brown tiger striping), red, yellow or dun (a warm nut-brown)
. We are getting three pregnant dun coloured cows, and shall get a bull next year to run with them. If we get a yellow bull we should end up with a mixture of duns and yellows. The yellow colour is more of a warm caramel - see below...
The breed was developed in the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles. The breed was developed from two sets of stock,one originally black, and the other reddish. Breeding stock have been exported to the rest of the world, and once an 'extremely rare' breed, they are now only considered 'rare'.
Highlands are known as a hardy breed due to the rugged nature of their native Scottish Highlands, with high rainfall and strong winds.Highland cattle have been successfully established in many temperate countries and indeed in countries where winters are substantially colder than Scotland's such as central Europe and Canada. Their hair provides protection during the cold winters and their skill in browsing for food enables them to survive in steep mountain areas. They both graze and browse and eat plants which
many other cattle avoid. The meat tends to be leaner than most beef because Highlands get most of their insulation from their thick shaggy hair rather than subcutaneous fat. The coat makes them a good breed for cold northern
climates and they are able to thrive in outdoor conditions that would defeat most other breeds of domestic beef cattle. As such, Highland cattle are able to produce beef at a reasonable gross margin from inhospitable land that would otherwise normally be incapable of rendering a profit agriculturally.Whilst the UK domestic and worldwide popularity of Highland cattle has made trade in pedigree beasts occasionally the most lucrative - mainly on account of their handsome appearance - they are at their best agriculturally when used to produce
beef in a cold climate from poor pasture and forage.
Whilst the beef produced by pure-bred Highland cattle is exceptionally
tender and of high flavour, modern butchery and shopping trends tend
to demand a carcass and a cut of meat of a different character. In order to
address this market, Highland beef producers commonly run commercial Highland suckler
cows with a 'terminal' sire such as a Shorthorn or Limousin bull. This allows the hardy Highland cow, grazed upon the rough hillsides of her natural environment, to produce across-bred beef calf featuring the tender beef of its mother on a more modern carcass
of high commercial value at slaughter, thus rendering a gross margin from
her grazing that would have been impossible from other breeds in that environment. There is also a healthy demand from fellow producers of outdoor
-reared beef who farm on more forgiving terrain, for Highland cross-bred bulling
heifers: most often Highland cows crossed with the Shorthorn bull, for use
as suckler
cows. These cross-bred beef suckler
cows inherit the hardiness,thrift and mothering capabilities of their Highland dams and the improved carcass
configuration or their sires. Such cross-bred sucklers
, further crossed with
a modern beef bull such as a Limousin or Charolaisto produce the finest quality beef are one of the mainstays of Scottish commercial
beef production. It is this ability to pass on thrift and gross margin
down the beef-breeding cascade that has secured this breed's
place as a modern
commercial beef breed.
The Highland cattle registry ("herd book") was established
in 1885. Although groups of cattle are generally called herds, a group of Highlands
is known as a fold. They were also known as kyloes.
The hairy calves are adorable...
Below: A prize Highland at Dumfries House...
I designed the Willowbrook Highland Cattle Logo using our
highland tartan as the backdrop...
