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Bless you for doing so much for this sweet little girl. I'm sorry, but judging from the first photos you posted, she looked malnourished to start to me. Especially with the difficulties drinking from a bottle, I really doubt he was either feeding her enough or noticing she had issues. If she...

Yes, you can. They're not a milking breed, per se, but they do have nice, rich milk. My buddy in AK (Pam, are you still on BYH?) milks her Highland regularly. I haven't tried it myself, mostly because I just can't make that kind of time commitment right now, but I am very curious about it. If...

Aim for about 1-1.5 acres per mature cow, but know that it all depends on how much forage you have and how willing you are to buy/feed supplemental hay, especially during winter.

Ah, I see. We've got hotwire around our perimeter fence, electricity-powered through our pump house. Our temp fences tie off into the perimeter fencing. It would be a different story if we were in the middle of nowhere with no access to electricity, although jhm47's solution might work. Solar...

You can generally do up to 1 per acre, depending on the quality of forage (and how long you have good forage for). Here in Western WA, our grass goes dormant July-Sept. and again in Nov. for the winter, so we feed quite a bit of hay. We're practicing MIG, though, and that's helping improve our...

Scottish Highland, although we're not organic.

If you're lucky enough to have grass year-round, of course. That's not reality in most parts of the country, though. Grass hay and haylage work great in winter or when grass is dormant.

I have heard of a couple folks milking their Highlands, but I've never tried it. :)

Cool! (I'm your current Secretary/Treasurer!) We're small, too, with three cows and two steer calves currently. We had as many as 6 head at one time (four cows, long yearling bull, long yearling heifer), and then 7 for a day (scary! had two bull calves born between selling the yearling bull and...

Hi there, We love 'em, too. How many head do you have? Are you by chance in the NWHCA?

Hey Toby, We're really small and don't have any special handling equipment per se. I do work with them a small amount almost every day, though...more for my pleasure than anything else. They're the same to handle as any other cattle, with one exception: those horns! Highlands can be pretty...

I concur with WildRoseBeefon the breed list...but also need to second a previous poster. Cattle don't do well by themselves unless they're family milk cows who are worked every single day. Cattle are herd animals, as you know, and get freaky when they're alone. If you get a steer, get two...

I'd be happy to! Do you have specific questions? We're 2.5 years into our own little Highland beef/breeding stock operation. We absolutely love them! They tend to be gentle and calm, certainly more so than some of the conventional, flighty breeds like Angus, although personalities vary by...

I'm assuming you have a strong hotwire? With all that hair, you need a very hot hotwire. If you do have a strong hotwire, make sure it's not shorted out somewhere by plant matter, wires crossed from deer or elk jumping over the fence (or cattle!), branches, etc. If you can handle them, you may...

Check Craigslist in your area to see what others are selling their beef for. You might also feel out some of your friends and family members to see if they think $XX price is fair for home raised, organically fed beef. We don't do organic, but charge $2.95/lb plus the butcher's $.50/lb cut and...

Herefords are a beef breed. I like 'em, too...although I LOVE Highlands. ;)

Is there any way you can separate the two boys by more than 1 fenceline? I've always been told you have to keep bulls further apart than that to avoid problems.

I don't think I would if it looks like mama's udder is empty (or emptier). I know on ours the cows' udders were still huge and didn't look like they were being sufficiently nursed for a week or so. It takes a little time for the calf's appetite and the cow's milk production to come into sync...

Hmm. Sounds suspect if she hasn't been cleaned off yet. Some heifers just don't get it. Is #3 a heifer as well? Can't recall. Try aggie's suggestion with the grain, maybe. Also, if you don't already have powdered colostrum on hand, you should go buy some (just a bag or two) and a calf bottle...

Oh, wow, congrats! I wouldn't have guessed they were as close, either! Can't wait to see pics!