WHY I WANT TO GET ONE OF THESE... Visiting a Highland Cattle Farm
2021 ж. 11 Там.
39 877 Рет қаралды
Today we take a field trip to MACK FARMS
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This guy needs his own channel . Very knowledgeable and great history, you know he’s in it when he’s buying a cow at 12
As an Australian, I spotted that Bluey a mile away. Fantastic work animals, fiercely driven to work with large livestock. They only become a problem when folks attempt to suburbanise them, like a domestic dog. They're serious workaholics, bred for that particular drive. They go mad without that constant outlet. I loved visiting Mac Farms, so thanks for taking us there.
The Swedish Homestead had Highland cattle and he milked them too. They use their horns to dig in the snow to forage. They are great animals and they know exactly where the tips of their horns are. Look up his earlier videos for more information too.
This young man is to be admired....I appreciate his enthusiasm and he is a true farmer.
Cool farm tour! This guy definitely has a plan and his animals benefit from his thoughtfulness.
Your bees are bearing you need to put another box on the hive on the left! With frames in it! The bees could bee hot to. Check to see if they need more room. Very nice place though! Love your highland cattle! I had bee for a while until we moved. Loved having them they were awesome ! I've been told chickens love to eat the left over stuff from extracting the honey. We extract honey by gravity and never heat it or take it over 105 degrees. It will kill all the good property's of the honey! Bees are great to have!
An upvote to move your comment up. And for the algoriithm ;)
I had a Scottish terrier named Quigley, best dog we ever had. Your Quigley looks like a good boy. I also love the Scottish Highland cow! This is a great episode.
Highlands are so pretty. The extended version is amazing and full of knowledge.
We had a problem getting the chickens to lay in our coop so we kept them in the coop for several days and they seemed to get it. Also, we got one ceramic egg for each nest box and that also seems to encourage them.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience👍
We love our Highlander an d plan to run a heard in the near future. 😀 love how you work them. They are such gentle and beuifual creatures.
Hee land coos. an Ayrshire lass watching from Scotland U.K. my fav coo...
Tx for sharing, they are beautiful, and having a bull around makes for better pregnancies. See Justin Rhodes and Art & Bri on their homesteading and bull, Ferdinand I think they call him. Blessings and keep sharing, always learning and enjoying. Prayers to you all.
Hey! I know him! 😄 Great video. -the Shepherdess
Great video... learned allot... this young man has his head on right! Awesone!
I love this guys story! Very inspiring. Thank you
Super helpful, thank you!!
Your vids are far on point and hitting your audience splendidly
Beautiful breed of cows!! TFS
Love them! One of our friends in northern Az breeds and raises this breed.
I have a 2 highlands and they are like big dogs so sweet and I love them. I’m going to teach mine tricks!
I love that your mustache matches the horns
Great farm bio!
I've had Highland cattle. They are, despite their menacing horns , a very gentle breed. I have very fond memories of them. Yeah, and barbed wire does not work at all, since they will only use that for scratching themselves and eventually tip the poles over.
I'd like to get cattle, but can't afford fencing, is there a cheap way to fence a pasture? And do you think highlander beef taste better than angus?
@@onewithnature8435 HC grow slowly, so you don't get as much meat and personally I can't differ the taste of any cattle.
@@mickemike2148 Hmm, thanks-
We love our highlands!
Got your 1st like 👍 😁❤ love watching your videos
We are in a storm here in TN. I'll try later to become a Pioneer!
What a beautiful life
Yeah, this scottish breed is awesome. Will get some in my future french homestead.
Awesome Road Trip 🙌💥 I've always loved these Animals, you should get one, 👍. Beautiful Farm 🐦. JO JO IN VT 💕😄
You should look into belted Galloways. They're my fave breed. Very hardy - temperature wise they can stand most. You can have them grass/hay fed without any additional stuff most of the time.theyre wonderful. They also produce really lovely beef - very flavourful and highly marbled.
Matter of taste but I much prefer the beef from highland to belted Galloway
When I was a boy I carved eggs out of a piece of wood painted them and set them in our nesting boxes this would bring the chickens back to the same place to lay daily and also help to not give a easy food source for other predators like skunks foxes Weasels mink that doesn’t mean that we still didn’t have issues at times but this certainly help reduce an easy food source
I have raised highlands for over 20 years. A great breed once you get things worked out.
We love our Highland cattle and they do great on pasture. Most important they can take on the coldest weather. You are getting great advice on your visit to this Farm.
Do they taste good too?
I pass mac farms going to work alot. Also sad to see Heritage butchers going out of business, three great guys. Great videos
I'm looking to see some of these beauties at my local farm :) one was born there and is already grown 😭
There's a new beehive that you just turn a crank and it breaks all the honeycomb and it falls down and you can just put it in bottles it's a brand new thing it's a little expensive but it's worth it every bit of it I'm sure I'm going to do it
Can you show us a picture or give us a link to see it?
@@paulatwood998 www.honeyflow.com/ My father in law has kept honey bees on and off for a long time. He told his kids if they go in on it he'll do the work and distribute the honey. 5 of us got in on it which really helped the price go down. I will say that it took me longer than I expected to set it up, but now it's ready and waiting until spring so we can buy a swarm and get it going! Very excited for some good honey. Also, get ready for a lot of hate on this hive style from the older generation of bee keepers. They are stuck in their ways. This hive offers many benefits to the bee and their keepers.
Thankyou for the response .
Mack Farms reminds me greatly of Gold Shaw Farm. He is getting Highland Cows for many of the same reasons. He just started with bees. He is a poultry farmer with ducks, geese and chickens and has planted a orchard of trees. Many of the things he spoke of are the same for Gold Shaw. They are in Vt but I bet they would be friends if closer. Maybe they watch each other?
I love Morgan! He came on our show last year, smart guy!
@@Homesteadyshow Hi from Poland. My aunt live in Cliveland.
The quills are hollow and if you cut the tips make great beads.
This guy is so SMART
That's what I was thinking; he is super smart in farm management and animal husbandry-a real thinker. What a good catch for an equally hard working woman.
Love heelers
I love y'all's channel so much. I'm a first time milked and I need to know at what time you put your calf up so you can milk in the morning. My calf is 1month old. Thank you for any advice you can give me. I have a miniature dexter. Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Perfect Planning Prevents Piss Pore Performance
I’m over in NJ and I’ve inquired about highland cattle. They are very expensive to purchase individually to raise just for meat. I wonder what the going rate for highland cattle are in PA..
I'm glad there are people who enjoy being farmers, doctors, mechanics and thousands of other jobs I might not be interested in...otherwise we couldn't have a functional society.
I saw you can also milk highland cows too.
It’s good to hear that other people around my age or in this case used to be around my age love cattle too, I’m thirteen and show cattle, I with I could raise my own but I only have enough room for my small flock of sheep
Hi Atlee. You are off to a great start! Keep working hard and learning. Write down your goals and what it takes to reach them. You will get where you want to go!
Would these cattle be too hot in Tennessee? I think our Summers may be too much for these wooly beasts (we are up in the Smokies a bit @2500ft, we call them the Eastern TN Highlands, so it's a touch cooler than in the lowlands).
They are raised all over. We sold one to a farm in Florida and he has no problems. Our farm is in WV with 12 head of registered Scottish Highlands
There are lots of them in TN. We have them on the Cumberland Plateau at 2000 feet and I know people in the valleys with them. For the summer they need lots of shade and water.
Are u far from Liverpool? Were starting a homestead this summer on 2 acres we just bought
If I started a cattle ranch I would use Highlands.
I won't argue with Mack, but he must have a good line of Highlanders. I've been around large animals and cattle for a long time. Highlanders in my personal experience tend to be skittish and almost feral. When we decided to get our homestead cows we decided on Milking Devon. We then cross them with an angus bull to produce some of the chunkiest calves you will find. Great video and really like what Mack farm has going on.
As someone who has 40+ head of Highlands, if you let them become range cattle they will be the best range cattle they can be, however you can forget about working them. if you take the time to work them, most will love on you and enjoy the brushing and the attention, some will stay standoffish, but you can get the wild out of 90% of them
@@user-xw1lh7zt7n so it's a lose / lose situation because if you build some rapport with them they tend to be nice (I have heard they are, also from other folks) and they are cute looking. How do you eat such an animal or sell it to be slaughtered ? If I had animals I likely would not have a problem to slaughter fish, and chickens, sheep (lamb though ! ) and ducks, but would run into trouble with pigs and geese already (smart animals). Cows are not as problematic, unless you have a closer relationship and the teddybearof highland cattle is nothelpful. At all. A well behaved Jersey cow that is repectful of fences and self reports for milking for years is another thing, you can benefit from them w/o killing them. I'd prefer not to be on afirst name, scratching behind ears terms with my food.
@@xyzsame4081 It's not a lose/lose, its a respect and safty thing. A thousand plus pound animal really can do what it wants if you let it. It's definatly difficult to explain to people who have never raised animals before, but I'm going to do my best. You have to remember two rules tho, #1 Don't name what you intend to eat, and #2 You can't keep them all. The biggest win is knowing exactly where your food comes from. Farming is as much as an artform as it is a business. You dump hours of time into something for a non equal payout most times, you respect the animals and know that you did the best you could to give them a good environment to grow in. And in the end you give thanks to them for being part of your life and what is going to keep your family and other families fed.
In 2018 we had two Highland yearlings (Willie and Waylon) and they were so easy to raise, especially compared to beef or dairy yearlings. They were unbelieveably quiet, they favored the shade and moved around the pastures accordingly, they thrived in the Montana cold, they were happy to eat everything in our pastures, and they were very calm which matters because of their horns. I liked that they could take care of themselves with those horns if coyotes or rogue dogs came after them. They weren't as bothered with flies because of their coat. We did have to upgrade our electric fence charger since they need the jolt to get through their coat. When our apple trees started shedding they were right there to eat the damaged falls and soon ate apples out of our hands every evening. That made it very hard when their last day came; I am pro ranching/farming but I grieved. Meat has marbeling throughout rather than a fat layer so healthier; we were changing from 18 years of eating bison so it was a good transition. Best animals we've raised and we are considering another pair.
I want one too..but my boss won't let me..lol..I live where I work
The cows are called Highland Hippie Cows. The hair on their faces gives them away. They are sweet cows.
Won't raise anything but Highlanders now. The meat is so much better, and they are so easy to care for.
How do you get the all the chicken's to go back in there Penn in the evening? 🤔
Mine go in all by themselves.
You have top ranking chickens that are well trained or start with a few hatchlings and train them with treats to come when you briing them to bed. when they have the example of others they'll go in, they sense they would be in danger during night - although not all of them do the obvious thing to go into the safe sapce that humans offer them. With a few chickens it is easier, because you can catch them. That is also very important with guinea fowl which are wilder birds. They have to be trained with chckens when they are little or they will tend to not come home at night (and they are in danger from owls). Joel Salatin says that some _would_ hang out under his chicken tractor. He has a MUCH larger herd though. (Joel Salatin lesson on pasture poultry). They move the tractor to the pasture and only then (!) let them out. They move the chickens often so they never "learn" the land (2 weeks is too long, then they get familiar with the land, explore and find a bush that they decide is "safe" for the night). If the surrounding is new for them at least every week, they do not venture too far away (so one can limit them to one area with a fence, they are not too determined to test it) and the chicken tractor is the only thing they are really familiar with. So they return to it as safe heaven. Naturally chickens would fly and rest on a tree for safety. As for Salatin's herd some are always too dumb to go in on the first nights, when they are not yet trained, and they insist on hanging out UNDER the chicken tractor (it is elevated because of the axis). So in the first night they hinder them and put them in, and they repeat that (with no night off duty for 3 - 4 nights) then all of them "get" it. Salatin says, if you interrupt the training routine, it will take you 14 days to train them. He also says you cannot move the chicken tractor once they got used to where it stands (so you can correct the parking position only after arrival). Not even a little bit, that will confuse them and they do not "find" it at night. He found it incredible that such a short distance (close) would make a difference. I can attest to the stubborness of chickens, when they insist on locations it is hard to hinder them. Neighbours had chickens a few from an heirloom breed, they could fly (at least a few). One insisted on laying her egg into the garage. she could get over the fence (which was not low, but if a chicken can fly you would need a top and they had a generous open range with a tree so no chance to hinder them. The old neighbours were also unwilling to clip their wings, and interference with thier chicken business was not possible ;) Not only did she lay the egg and wander around outside the fence - she pooped into the garage, even on the car, if someone let the door open. One day the son that lived in the same house and did not like his car being pooped on (while the parents were more laid back) worked at the weekend in front of the house, neede the garage door open - and could hinder the chicken from getting in - from morning till noon. In the end he chased the stubborn bird when she tried again and she flew up - and lost her egg when taking off. She would rather "hold it in" than not laying it at the "right"place and since they are stupid birds, whatever they learn first, sticks with them. So early and consequent training is key.
I got highland bull for first time.
My friend where is Simon from Austria
Hummmm, so you are sizing down 🤣🤣🤣
The thumbnail kinda makes you look like you have a sweet mullet/wig😂
DANG! Noooice!
We had highlanders for quite a while. Ours were very ... um... independent? not approachable at all. would come to the fence for food or when we were filling the watering trough, but didn't want any personal contact. One got to the point where she would let me scratch her on the top of her head, but that was rare. I've been told that if you keep close contact starting when they're very young, they will be more amenable to it as adults, but we couldn't ever get close to the calves because of momma's attitude. Loved to look at them, though. Still have one cured pelt hanging on a railing upstairs... we were going to make hair-on leather, but found that it's way more work than we wanted to do.
I had a Highland once, I'll never make that mistake again. Craziest cow I ever had.
Have you ever considered Lowline Cattle? They are from Australia and are a small beef breed that look.like Angus. They are polled.
Lowlines are actually derived directly from the angus breed. They simply were selected for low growth rate and size.
@@alexlyndaker7588 I should have mentioned I raised them. Fantastic carcasses and really efficient
When I was your age doing what your doing. I was labeled "one of those damn 5 acres and independance Hippys" Funny how things change and stay the same.
One disadvantage of highlands is butchers don't like dealing with the long hair.
Are any of the highland Polled or all have horns.
The breed should have horns, in the cattle world horns are recessive so if you breed a pure highland with a pure polled the first gen offspring will be polled, the second generation (if bred back to pure highland) will mostlikly be horned. There are very few people who are so scared of them they poll them. Highlands use their horns not only to forage and scratch. But for defense and helping to regulate their body temperature. And tbh, they look ridiculous without them.
I grew up in an area with dairy farms. Those cows were intimidating to me. As an adult, I saw my first Highland cow and realized Jack could take a cow to market by himself.
I bought a 🐐goat at my twelve
With my pocket money savings
Wonderful - did it work out for you ? did you get milk from it, or was it kept for meat ? - there is a documentary on PBS Wyoming about travelling goat herders that restore pastures or deal with underbush as fire hazards. Really interesting (and funny) check that out.
Not many flowers around looks like for those bees.
Highland cattle are supposed to be better meat when grass-fed compared to Angus, etc.
Cute breed look like sheep.
Does he follows Justin Rhodes? He does kinda the same thing. He should contact him. Oh so should you guys.
I think Joel Salatin was the one that made the very short grazing episodes popular. Not sure he invented it. Of course it needed practicable electric fences. In the past they had children herd geese, pigs, goats, cows and move them around. Rhodes calls Salatin his mentor. Rhodes (which I watched a few times) recently shopped for trouble, he got severe food poisoning when he did an online class on butchering processing a lot of chickens. He ate raw chicken liver. The infection got so bad that he now has reactive arthritis (it was not salmonella but another typical pathogen coming from undercooked / raw chicken. And the arthritis is a well known side effect - does not hit all people and can be triggered by other infections, but that was a red flag and then confirmed in the lab. They also avoided to seek medical help first. He is lucky if he will recover within a few months and w/o permanent damage. So Rhodes' expertise seems to be tainted by grandstanding or some preconceived ideas. Maybe posing as rogue and convince carnivore (when it is about hygiene rules, really). Or showing how strong his immune system is, because he eats healthy and his chickens are healthy because they are well raised - which they are, the chickens do not get ill from the bacteria, but they are carriers. So I would see other advice from Rhodes with a grain of salt. Plus he has more of a lifestyle operation, it is nice to watch the children help him, but it is not much of HOW-TO in the videos. Not sure how much income comes from that as opposed to production of food. Which is fine - except when he as teacher with a large following violates on camera the most basic rules. But even w/o that eipisode it is not an example for how to make a living of homesteading with a few animals (or a langer farm).
I want to buy a cow but I dont have a trailer.
I don’t either! People can haul for you ;)
$3 kinda high
That's what we pay in Montana, its the going rate although I see a few selling at $4/doz on Craigslist.
I can only speak to here but the local butchers hate the highlands. One won't even book them because he makes more money for the work on larger cattle and he doesn't have to deal with the hair. Here the small cattle premium is on wagu, lowline aberdeen, and mini herefords
My old butcher hated butchering highlands too, for similar reasons. Pros and cons is the way of the homestead 😆
They should be just as big as most cattle. Our cows are around 1100/1400lb the bull will get over 2000lb and a steer at 3years old on grass only should be at normal butcher weight. There is a big difference between registered and non registered.
me
Just a word of advice for the newbee get into making bees not honey. We need more dedicated bee farmer raising strong local stocks to help the genetic diversity. Buy your bees local.
My wife wanted a pig, and I told her we'd end up slaughtering and eating it. She said, "Nevermind". Good call.
bit cruel having highland cattle in hot climate - try something that suits your climate - much smarter
DUDE you shouldn't get any animals.....
Why?
Klaudia well for one he said he doesn't like daily chores, 2 he said he wants to get highland cause they are cute.
Go vegan for the animals
Nope. That’s unhealthy. We are omnivores. So live accordingly.