Highland cattle on small acreage? Anyone?

[Handforged]

This spring I am looking to add a couple of bred heifers to my property. I live up in the mountains of montana at 6,000 ft of elevation. I need something that is hardy in extreme cold at times and have been looking at the Scottish highland cows. I've been to a local ranch with a good many of them and they seem to do well. Very docile and good for this weather. Anyone have any and can give me a little more info?

I'm only needing a few, not looking to start a large herd. Just enough to have a couple to sell a season and one to put in the freezer. I am figuring on 4 bred heifers max. Grazing on about 13 acres with hay to supplement in the winter.

[Hawkdancer]

Check with the county extension agent about acres per cow, that rancher may be willing to help you as well.  Good idea if you have enough water as well.
Hawkdancer

[bjrogg]

Check with the county extension agent about acres per cow, that rancher may be willing to help you as well.  Good idea if you have enough water as well.
Hawkdancer

I agree. A lot depends on the pasture you are putting them on. May need supplement feed in summer to. Also might want to rotate them from one pasture to another. Cattle usually seem to do better around here in the cold than they do in the heat. Probably not as cold as you are, but normally if they are feed  well with good  water supply available they handle cold pretty good.

Bjrogg

[Handforged]

Already spoke with them. We don't have open pasture here, it's mountain land with trees and rocks. Supposedly that is were these type of cattle thrive. I was more looking for any candid info you folks might have on the Scottish Highland breed.  I have the rest covered.

Here the majority of cattle get hay year round as there just isn't much for them to graze. That is where these guys are supposed to shine as they eat rougher than traditional beef cattle. The Angus around here won't touch anything that isn't grass. The rest they leave to grow head high. After speaking with the rancher that has the Scottish highland, he relayed that they will eat anything edible. Almost like a goat. weeds, scrub, treebark even. I have access to unlimited hay, as I do work from time to time for a rancher that commercially produces it. He rolls thousands of bales a season and I get as much as I can use for free. As far as water, like everything up here... there is none. It has to be brought up the mountain. Which we currently do for horses and mules so that's no big deal either.

[Pat B]

If I'm not mistaken the highland cattle are browsers and grazers so they eat like deer. A friend in Madison Co. NC had one on her property to help eliminate multiflora rose.

[bjrogg]

Sorry. I can’t help with that particular breed. We raised mostly Holstein dairy cows. We did experiment with some  “exotic breeds” for beef when I was young. Never that particular breed though.
Bjrogg