![highland calf highland calf](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/highland-cattle-drew-rawcliffe.jpg)
Going to shows and seeing Highland cattle at their best was very exciting. I truly enjoyed the people and experiences associated with this group. I think my membership was connected to registering my original stock. In all my years of raising cattle, I had never shown any cattle or been part of an association like the AHCA. They were so photogenic I took many pictures and showed them to everybody, including making a T-shirt. I put my first Highland calf in deep dry straw and Mom did the rest.
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To my delight, Niniel the mother just followed me back to the barn with soft moos. As I watched her over my shoulder, I picked up the slightly soggy 50 pounds of fur and started walking to the barn. I was cautious because Highland cattle can be very protective of their young. This was my first encounter with a Highland cow and calf relationship. She was dusted with snow, but snug as a bug in a rug. I quickly searched and found her in the remains of a round bale in the pasture. My first cow had calved, but no baby was in sight. By the time I got home from work there had been a little icy snowfall. About nine months later, my first calf was born.
![highland calf highland calf](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/young-highland-calf-cow-cattle-scottish-breed-122450305.jpg)
As time passed, the girls would maneuver to me whenever I brought the cattle comb into the barnyard.īy the next summer, I borrowed Donny’s bull, Hogan, and hoped for the best. I had never witnessed that much acceptance by a breed of cattle outside of pail-fed calves. When I got them home I locked them in the barn, and in only a day they were taking treats and letting me brush them. One week tied to a halter, and we led them right onto the trailer. Only a week before I picked these girls up they were loose in a herd. I soon bought four heifers, three for me and one for Donny, to enrich his growing herd. And as I later concluded, they too were only gentle giants. The breeders’ bull never concerned himself with our presence. As for the bull, Daddy always said, “There is nothing more dangerous on a farm than a pet bull.” The reason: you turn your back on a pet bull. I was no stranger to cattle, and could also see they showed no threat. The breeder reassured me of their docile attitude. I must admit I was apprehensive to walk out into a pasture with all those horns, including a bull. I tracked down the closest breeder for the American Highland Cattle Association (AHCA). I set out to start my own herd of Highland cattle. Coincidentally, my best friend Donny had already acquired a pair of young Highlands. I became fascinated by this regal-looking hairy beast. About this same time in my life I was investigating my own Scottish heritage. Scottish Highland cattle became the most memorable breed for which I had the pleasure of caring.
![highland calf highland calf](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/AM0WA0/highland-cattle-calf-cuteness-baby-animals-AM0WA0.jpg)
It took getting my own farm in my 40s to focus on the best breed of cattle I could truly enjoy and invest my limited time in. Over the years, I have enjoyed raising Jersey cows, Herford cattle, Simmental cattle, Dexter cattle, Charolais cattle and belted Galloway cattle. Years passed, but I always kept a little beef herd growing at my father’s farm. There were a lot of chores for a boy in those days. At home, we kept our own herd of Black Angus. I spent much of my youth at Grandpa’s dairy farm, including milking cows in my later teens. With the beginning of the 20th century, the species has been exported worldwide, primarily to North America and Australia.Story & Photos By Tom Fuller – Cattle have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and Highland cattle are by far the most memorable and entertaining breed of my cattle raising experiences. Nowadays, however, the difference between these two types has disappeared because of crossbreeding. These animals were dun or red in color and larger due to pastures, providing them required nutrients. According to the book, the other type was the mainland cattle. The West Highland cattle were relatively smaller with black coat and long hair, as a result of living in harsher conditions. It says that one was the West Highland, or Kyloe, brought from Western Isles. These two types are described in the herd book, written in 1885. The species was formed the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland out of 2 types of cattle, which are now extinct. The first written references to the Highland cattle date back to the 12th century AD. As it comes to the Highland cattle, the species has quite a long history, beginning with the 6th century AD. Originally, the cattle were introduced to Britain by farmers during the Neolithic.