Raising Highland Cattle in Maine

[@christinelesch5042]

You are the most genuine story teller of this Scottish Majestic Cattleman 😉🙏

[@terrypomatto907]

Spent my entire life in the cattle raising area and I never ever heard of the Highland Cattle. It is interesting learning new thing even at Eighty years old.

[@tanyajenkins919]

I think highlands are a very calm breed cows I really like there calm demenor

[@christinelesch5042]

They are so beautiful cattle with such charming Chrisma

[@HeavyMetalPedal]

Great content and narration! Scottish Highland are majestic creatures & funny characters. I have Scottish Highland and Belted Galloway cattle. Wonderful, hardy cattle with a survival gene like no other. Tough animals I've learned since my first 3 in 2005. Cheers from Upstate New York!

[@GrizzlyGroundswell]

The best asset to any livestock with horns is that they are utilized as radiator's keeping those hairy hides cool even in the heat of Summer. We have them around us here in Ohio and with the heat and humidity it is amazing how well Highland's do. Not enough pasture here on our homestead for cattle, but if I ever get mad money to buy more land, Highlands would be on top of that bucket list. Smaller than a shorthorn, bigger than a dexter, not quite a Hereford, but a solid choice.

[@mountainviews5025]

I really like this cattle and if y'all want cattle this could possibly be a awesome addition to your beautiful farm not only for the fact that it's extremely awesome food but also it's a working animal they will help you all around the farm all of the stuff that we think is weeds and stuff like that to them it's a yummy rice pudding or ice cream yummy yummy thumbs up my friends

[@funnytime1111]

This breed is going on my homestead wishlist

[@jay71512]

Great to see youre grass feeding them. Makes for a much healthier meat and personally i think it makes a beefier meat than grain fed. The queen has her own award winning highland cattle.

[@christinelesch5042]

Y'all do a fabulous job with your Gorgeous Cattle

[@pippaseaspirit4415]

Highland cattle are wonderful creatures. They produce very nice milk, too, and in Winter so long as they have a good shelter available they do fine staying outdoors in most cold climates. Most times they won't use the shelter, but it needs to be available.

[@als8518]

some conifers are plenty for highlands, I know a guy in western maine who had 80 head of em at one point. Barn burned downs years ago, and they are just fine through the winter with some brushy tree cover.

[@stoneycarter5546]

Once we get set up on our Homestead that's the Cattle we will raise. Great Video guys

[@deanbarr5740]

My brother has had a few of these. He liked them better than some of the Herford breed. Thanks Troy.

[@thomasgibson1041]

Another scottish native breed is the galloway or belted galloway.we use them on our hills to eat the rougher grasses and keep scrub down. They are naturally polled (no horns) and calf very easily with very little assistance.grow a heavy winter coat and in summer they have a far silkier lighter hair on them. In the winter their well insulated coat means snow will lie on their backs.We keep them outside all year on the hill at 1000ft above sea level and only give hay or corn when ground is frozen or there is a couple feet of snow. Another option for you to think about.

[@jeremiahpowell355]

I’ve kept both but hands-down highland. Cattle are much easier to keep, and I actually like the horns.

[@ppac300]

I have some land in the Philippines which I need to get the weeds and brushes down. I have a guy in Wisconsin to get some highland cattle to basically get a free lawnmower. I raised the concern of high heat and humidity in the tropics. He seem to think the highland cattle is hardy enough to survive in the tropics.

[@DavidWatkiss]

My son went to Scotland to study ten years ago and never returned, married a beautiful Ulster girl and set up home in the highlands. When I go visit (not as often as I wish I could) I these beasts roaming the mountains, if a cow can be beautiful these are the ones

[@lisabooker6405]

First I ever heard of this breed was from the. Swedish Homestead. They are such a beautiful breed of cattle. I hope you get some. TFS God Bless ~Lisa

[@mickeydavenport4636]

I enjoy watching you channel especially this video on Highland Cattle. I think you might want to try contacting the family on the "Swedish Homestead" as they also raise Highland Cattle.

[@cekfraun]

I live in Maine, and I've been watching your videos lately, especially the ones about the new piglets on your farm. Imagine my surprise when I came upon this video of you guys in Maine looking at Highland Cattle! Very cool. I love it. Now I'm wondering if you ever got any highland cattle. So far I have only seen pigs and chickens on your farm.

[@rochrich1223]

Thanks for the coverage. I think the most important thing I saw was the ability to browse. (The Highlands on the Swedish Homestead are mostly on pasture.) Driving from West Virginia to Maine you must have been eyeballing hundreds of miles of overgrown woods just begging for cattle. Having a home base while grazing/browsing other properties for weed control from spring through fall would be a great way to get into homesteading.

[@Downeastwaves]

Very neat! My friend Dottie Bell raises them in Waterford, Maine! Thank you for sharing.

[@OakKnobFarm]

Wow, you're up in my neck of the woods! Greetings from NH

[@RedToolHouse]

We loved Maine, NH, and VT. We will have some more videos of our travels. We drove to the top of Mt Washington!

[@OakKnobFarm]

@@RedToolHouse Great I can't wait to see more of your trip. I love this area and live a bit east of Concord, NH. And I HIKED to the top of Mt Washington ;) But prob couldn't do that anymore....

[@Steve-ps6qw]

My wife LOVES highland cows....in fact, if it wasn't for them, I don't think she would have wanted to live this new homesteading life.

[@jazieltripp1040]

instablaster.

[@davidstallard2235]

Thank you for another great video

[@PassiveProfits]

Great video!

[@mikerogers9711]

I hope you enjoyed your trip to Maine. I live here, been to Steuben many times.

[@robertttttt716]

Have come across your videos and I liked him so I have subscribed and liked also shared with my friends on Facebook.

[@RedToolHouse]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@helencline5768]

I just seen a show on them in the highlands, there great cattle 👍🏻👍🏻♥️

[@colliecoform4854]

I love highland cattle. Actually love many of the smaller breeds, especially the dairy cows. I am a smaller woman so they are much more my size.

[@albertod4161]

They're beautiful cattle

[@salvatorem1959]

Highlands are great looking

[@davidj.mackinney6568]

Should have taken a vacation to Sweden and visited Simeon and Alex. We love Highland Cattle.

[@RedToolHouse]

That would have been a little bit more of a drive!

[@nancyfahey7518]

Great video, thanks.

[@Steve-ps6qw]

Well, I just had to subscribe and hit that bell! I saw you while watching Goldshaw Farms. I saw this and know how much my wife loves highland cattle (I like them too) and decided to watch. I sure learned a lot...I thought I new a fair amount about them but was apparently wrong. I had no idea they were such good browsers! The sheep I want are somewhat good browsers as well and coincidentally are from the Scottish Isles.....must be a Scottish thing! Oh, the sheep are on the small side (Soay Sheep) , just like the highland cow is on the small side.

[@ericbautsch4353]

Just came across your video.... To echo some of the comments in the video and in the comments: you will need shade for them and obviously water (I live in a sheep area and lots of people are surprised just how much water cattle need). They generally prefer a good leaf off a tree to fresh grass. So long as you have something to eat in the field, you don't need to feed them anything. I just rattle a feed bucket when I need them to move and they're otherwise unwilling (e.g. because they're already in a field full of grass). You'll need some sort of mineral lick for them. In the UK you can get ones with garlic in - saves on the fly treatment. I believe in Canada they keep Highland Cattle out to -50C. Mine are out all year round, but here is very very rarely goes below -10C.

[@RedToolHouse]

Good to know! Thanks for the info.

[@theot4077]

For the 'Love of Animal Husbandry' -- Essential for the Human Race. Great Video -- Wisconsin.

[@workingclasshero7239]

There are a few farms with highland cattle in my area. The highland cattle are yes, as your video shows brush browsers and will chew the brush in this area. My states invasive brush is called Buchthorn and it lives up to its name. Troy if you are considering this try and find some Highland cattle as close to you as posable and bring some Autome Olive and see how the cattle like it..... Just an idea. Great Video love you guys

[@joenadeau4419]

Welcome to Maine.

[@CliffsideStables]

When he started calling the cattle to the fence gate I thought we were getting ready to have an auction!

[@kenjett2434]

I think highland cattle would be a perfect fit for our hilly terrain and climate. I have seen them on a few farms in the eastern part of the state. Here where i am nothing but black Angus and Hereford. Although they are a small handful of milk producing farms. I dont have the ground but if i did i would surely have cattle on it. When i was young we had 55 head on a 100 acre farm. We did have one good size field that produced hay for winter feed though. The cows we had were Hereford with a quarter Guernsey. That was helpful as they had more milk for the calves.

[@RedToolHouse]

We are really leaning that way.

[@jodysappington7008]

great video..enjoyed it very much...

[@Steve-ps6qw]

I have read the highland cattle have a very high butterfat content in their milk...higher than a Jersey cow. However, I know they are a meat breed but I would milk them just for personal use. Did they use the milk themselves?

[@pippaseaspirit4415]

Steve Highland milk is awesome! A Highland cow was always traditionally a dual-purpose breed in Scotland.

[@Steve-ps6qw]

I told my wife it was dual purposed and she said, "I know, milk and companionship".....

[@greenhornhomesteaders8249]

Love the video 😁. I briefly looked dy into that breed. The only reason I didn’t pursue them is I was worried about loading 5 or 6 in a trailer and the horns be a problem. Other then that I think there a cool breed.

[@lindatimmons3675]

I saw a video of Texas Longhorns being loaded and they automatically turn their heads to get the horns in.

[@seepingspringsfarm6017]

I love Maine. Was there in fall. how were the mosquitoes?

[@RedToolHouse]

Not too bad. Only had one evening where I noticed them.

[@cjennmom]

Lol You guys went right past me - I'm in NH.

[@ules6006]

2:15 close ur eyes and listen

[@jimpetersen8900]

I hope you're able to bring some of that beef home with you to try let us know how it is

[@RedToolHouse]

We had some burger that evening. Even without a grill it was incredible!

[@paulafields-jones9973]

Sounds like they are large bush hogs. Let me know if they solve the autumn olive problem.

[@kjamesjr]

Very popular breed up here in New England. Wouldn’t recommend if you live in a climate with long hot, humid summers. They really do thrive in cold climates. Dexter would be my first choice. Also popular up here.

[@lindatimmons3675]

That would be most of the Panhandle of Texas, long hot humid summers 3digit Temps and very little rain.

[@jimwilloughby]

When David was asked did he live in Maine his whole life, and he said no, I thought his next words were going to be, "not yet".

[@adrunkgorillawithalobotomy353]

I live in Maine. His accent sounds like he's from Massachusetts. We have a similar accent, but not as strong as that.

[@morgansword]

Cliff Hurn Jr., had them and they were a nice animal but he got a bit greedy in the fact that he wanted more yield from each animal in return as meat. He introduced the Charla (not exactly spelled that way but it is a sound like that.) Anyway the one that I tried to spell is huge. What happen in every case including trying to take caves early was the calf being born would kill the mother cause of size, hence his trying to take them early as he wasn't mean but that last bit you could see the mommy cow just get huge and she just couldn't carry full term. I met Dave in my shop in anchorage many years ago as his face reminds me of a departed friend. RIP Larry, and he was a good customer. He does enjoy good conversation. I don't remember his wife but I doubt she came in with repairs to their car. I owned the triple a subaru business for a number of years before I sold out and glad of it. I am not a city boy and it was causing me to get some bad ways. I left that own and never ever drank again for that I will be grateful. I like the highland breed and they do good on poor ground. A animal is only as good as the feed allows it to become so just a heads up, from the start you will ask why I never did this before and my short answer is that they do not yield a lot of milk and it is rich in value food wise but just not as much as say a dairy brand. Angus are big and good but tuff to raise on land as yours appears to be and lots of hay cause they will starve without it. Great video guys

[@tealkerberus748]

Morgan Adair if that's the Charolais you're talking about, anyone putting a Charolais bull over small cows shouldn't be allowed to own animals. Those critters are massive, and the big shoulders on a calf are hard even for big cows to birth.

[@morgansword]

@@tealkerberus748 Yep thems the ones an we the public stood up to him even tho he was our boss. I didn't stand for it either. I just pointing out how cruel some people are. I hope that I never offended as just relaying what and how I was familiar with this breed

[@Steve-ps6qw]

Yea, like he said, the Queen of England has her own herd and that is the only beef she will eat! Crazy stuff. Speaking of crazy stuff...there is a guy in Athol, ID that has Yaks! They have healthy meat too and are about the same size. They have peaked by curiosity as well.

[@stevenogborn5892]

I would love to be in David's situation. When you figure out hog farming I'll have all the info I need.

[@LielasLikez]

I’ll buy your whole stock!!

[@terrellcummings4385]

A like the Dexter but I never had the highlander

[@tealkerberus748]

Terrell Cummings Dexters are the perfect homesteader cow. Small enough to manage, docile and friendly, but more milk than a household can use and the steers are wonderful beef.

[@jacksmith4449]

Check out Swedish Homestead.

[@h20dad1]

I was going to say the same thing. Simeon has some great videos of his Highland cattle.

[@danielschneider1504]

Did you talk to them about how the highlands do in the heat? I suspect that could be more of an issue than the cold for y'all, based on some of the things Troy has said in some of your summertime videos. EDIT: oops, should have read all the way through the comments before posting. :-) If other folks in your area have them, then that's perfect.

[@scotthargraves576]

I love the look of Highland cattle but had to get rid of the heifers that I had. I would not have believed it if I hadn't witnessed it myself but they were able to jump a 4 foot fence from a standstill. Just like a deer. Easy to sell the heifers than to build a higher fence.

[@joenadeau4419]

Did you eventually get any Highland cattle? We recently acquired 2 bulls from another farm in Maine.

[@jmw1983209]

Dexter cows might meet your needs

[@bootmender]

I have 6 Highland cows and a miniature Hereford bull. I play my saxophone to get them to come in from the field. The marbling in the meat is great. They are better than goat when it comes to what they will eat. I can put out hay and grain and they will sometimes not leave the saw briars. I live on the Arkansas/ Missouri border and they have done very well here for 6 years now.

[@RedToolHouse]

No problems with the heat?

[@bootmender]

Red Tool House - Homestead so far so good, they will get out in the pond and stand. I keep mine on about 40 acres of mix field and woods, 4 Stranne of barb wire no Electric fence at all. My bull I keep in a 2 acres lot and bring my cows to him to breed. That way I can keep my Record straight. He is my 2end bull in 6 years. And it is time to change again. I try to get 2 calf’s from a bull then change blood line. I keep my heifer calf’s and eat or sell the bulls. I started out with just 2 cows and a bull. I am going back to a Highland Bull this time. My original two cows were from Minnesota. I am now looking at a bull calf here in Missouri. Mine are not registered but I do keep up with the blood line just for my Records.

[@theverch1]

@T. N. Schumacher it’s good to know that they handle heat and humidity. We are in Louisiana and are in the process of starting our herd.

[@KimberlyHawthorne]

Do you guys eat these beautiful cows? Do you sell these cows to places that slaughter these lovely cows?

[@CliffsideStables]

Troy I see another opportunity for you: “Pastured Highlander Cow Podcast”!

[@bruceolson4552]

Doesn't all that browsing, especially if they're eating evergreens, have a negative effect on the meat?

[@RedToolHouse]

We had some of the burger and it was amazing!

[@OakKnobFarm]

Patrick is a handsome fella with his blonde hairdo ;)

[@yvonnebrasgalla4385]

Check out Swodish Homestead, a family in Sweden that raise Highland cattle, AWESOME, AWESOME family! You'll love them! God bless and be safe on your family journey!

[@cat3rgrl917]

The highland cattle are some what heat intolerant. You may need to provide fans to help keep them cool during summer. Much like alpaca owners do.

[@RedToolHouse]

We have farms in our area that raise them without providing cooling systems. We all have hardwood forests they can go too, however.

[@cat3rgrl917]

@@RedToolHouse that is great then

[@vernonvest9927]

Let us know how many highlands cattle you purchasing. Now is fence time ,you will need help right.

[@matthewprestine1974]

I see he has a harbor freight sawmill, should have asked him about it.

[@RedToolHouse]

He said it was ok. He has had to work on it from time to time.

[@cjennmom]

The New England accent is disappearing - too much moving in and out of the area. You'll mostly find it with either the older folk or with smaller communities that are more self-sufficient - again, not a lot of in and out. We moved here (NH) in '83. You'd find some of it about, but it's really been disappearing. :(

[@steveruby2120]

The Queen of England owns a herd of about 30. Check out the KZbin channel "Swedish Homestead", he is very knowledgeable about Highland cattle. Good luck.

[@CrimeVid]

‘s ok, you do talk funny....

[@jakegrubb5058]

Take a word to the wise choose a bull with a small head smaller the better he'll make Calvin a whole lot easier. Good luck and there a good choice

[@maine-bill7276]

folks wouldn't eat tough grass fed beef back in the 50's i can't understand why people want grass fed beef now it is so tough to chew BECAUSE low fat content. you don't have to eat 4lbs of steak at each sitting but certainly can eat proper portions and still have a healthy diet eating prime beef with good fat marbleing but to each his own i am not a hater

[@christinelesch5042]

Thank you Jesus for creating these beautiful Creatures that cow hey bo ttyllove you muahhhh kisses him so much harder than ever hahaha baby so much better than you think about me or something like that cow 😂😁😉

[@carlschmiedeke151]

I'd raise them only for a pet, as with all animals

[@arnoldromppai5395]

,y live stock love eating in the bush rather then in the fields, the bush is like a park , now, it was so thick with brush at one time, i have videos on here showing how they have cleaned the bush right up.. so many people think you have to have fields of grass, for cattle, well i can say that is so far from true.. the have shelter but they never use it, they head into the bush in bad rain or bad snow storms.. it is the same here in north western ont. Canada, it is a new law under the meat inspection , this is copped right out of there email.. Backbone only off if animals over 30months (Specified Risk Material) this makes it hard to sell as people want the bone in, the whole back bone has to be removed, and if you want live stock killed for sale or even give away as i do, it has to be done by the one and only plant we have here and they only kill one day a week, 65 animals, an d yjey cant do cows and pigs at the same time, if they are doing steers, they have to stop and wash the place down, then do the pigs, so you have to book in over a year a head of time or you dont get in, we dont have any were here with in 1700 miles that will do birds, so we brake the law and do them our self, right now i have 5 steers just over 27 months that been waiting since last Sept. to be killed, and i am worried they will hit 30 months before they get in, i have been wanting to get to bread highland heifers for many years, but they are just not around here, and the vet that AI dont have and cant get highland to AI

[@jeliarra]

SON of a BISCUIT! No bone in the meat! For me, it's no good without the bone. The bone adds flavor and ... AND my dog is not going to appreciate no bones either! If the government doesn't get out of our business! No bone, but they push the NASTY GMO's.

[@frenchie1132]

Will never understand how you can name the cows then butcher them.