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www.hairycows.co.nz is the website for The Broch Highland and Hummel cattle.
It enables us to showcase our beautiful beef, and advertise the cattle we have for sale.
We will share our observations of our cattles behaviour, and as the site develops we intend to let you see and hear examples.
Hopefully the basic genetics will be interesting.
The Links will provide useful contacts
Fourth of July 1997 was independence day for the Boyd Family. We had moved from almost a quarter acre in Auckland City to 22 acres in Kaipara Flats, ten kms west of Warkworth. Our two older children were swapping their school of 350 children for the local rural school with a roll of 66, and falling. News of our imminent arrival helped retain a teacher, and the prospect of three other preschoolers was an added bonus. In fact six Boyd children have enjoyed and prospered at Kaipara Flats School.
The farmlet came with two friesian nurse cows, Daisy and Daffodil, and nine black white faced yearlings. The yearlings tended to hoon through the paddocks and I worried that they might accidentally run over a preschooler. So the yearlings went and Twirl the pony arrived.
We were looking for interesting cattle for our farmlet.
The New Zealand Highland Cattle Society (NZHCS) had been formed about 1994. The majority of the original cattle were bred-up from any cow mated to or artificially inseminated with Highland semen. The NZHCS had a programme of assessments to determine the purity of cattle being put forward for registration and continued until after 1997. There were however a few 'folds' of ‘fullblood’ Highland Cattle. At this point in time, there was considerable variation in the quality of record keeping.
We saw an ad for an highland cow and calf advertised in a newspaper. The cow and calf were fullblood and had been bred by Stan Schuler. Stan had imported a fullblood cow, Liz of Norgrove from Canada in the early 1980’s. Using imported Highland semen Stan successfully increased his herd.
Stan sold most of his herd, unregistered, to Shirley and Ian Blanchard, who registered the cattle under Stan’s fold name of Montrosa.
The advertised cow had been bought unregistered by Pat Leek, and delivered him a heifer calf. Pat was selling them because he was unable to register them.
We bought the cow and calf. My farmer uncle advised we buy the best we could afford, and to buy a healthy fullbllod cow, with identification had to be better than a bred up cow.
The cow wore an orange tag with MS102 and the word Montrosa on it, which matched the tattoo in her ear. MS 102 is known as Honey of The Broch.The calf had the remnants of her umbilical cord attached. Blood typing would verify the calf’s sire to be Black Prince 2nd of Rigg. This calf is now known as Bonnie of The Broch.
The NZHCS declined to register Honey, believing she had been sold as a‘cull’. Bonnie has been registered as a ‘C’ Grade, with her mother listed in the herd book as a Foundation Cow.
In 2005, after a fortuitous conversation with a fellow breeder, we were given permission to test Honey against Montrosa Topsy. Success!, Topsy's DNA proved that she was the mother of Honey. Unfortunately we are still unsure who her sire is.
When we initially went to see Honey and Bonnie, we also saw a heifer that was raising two. This hiefer was reported to be from the same herd, but was being kept. In Jan 1998 we were offered, and purchased, ‘Hairy Mary', now known simply as ‘Mary'.
All our cattle are descendents of these cows.
Highland Cattle originated as a breed in the western highlands of Scotland. The first herd book was produced in1885 after the founding of The Highland Cattle Society of Scotland in 1884. The original breed description remains unchanged.
The Scottish highlands are renown for their high rainfall of over 1500mm/yr.
The higher hill country experiences up to 60 snow days / year and can be blasted by gales. Here the grass grows poorly. Generations of cattle bred in cold windswept wintery hills on rough pasture have created the hardy Highland Cattle of today. These hardy browsers convert rougher grazing into quality meat more easily than other beef breeds.
The long oily double coat provides resistance to wind, cold and insect pests. The warm downy undercoat reduces the need for a fat layer. Marbled highland meat is healthier because it is low in cholesterol and fat, but full of flavour.
In spring, the winter coat is shed to a minimal coat of forlock (fringe), main and tail. Highland cattle need access to shade in summer. My cattle enjoy the wet areas of our farmlet, or like to stand in the water troughs!
Calves are small but vigorous at birth. Highland cows have good mothering instinct, and frequently calve into their late teens. Highland bulls pass on these useful characteristics making them valuable to Highland breeders, but also to all beef farmers.
Highland cattle have inquisitive personalities and generally calm natures.
Truly Beautiful Beef!
The Hummel is a newly re-established breed of polled Highland. It is thought that Hummels were recognised in years gone by.
Most likely the name Hummel refers to the lack of horns (hummel meaning adornment). Our hummels are now second and third generation, based on our polled nurse cows and our fullblood Highland bulls.
Apparently semen from 'pure' Hummels was imported in the 1980/90's, but I have not seen verification of this.
* I am keen to gather as much information on Hummels as possible.
Bred-up or Graded Highlands are the result of pure Highland sire (either via artificial insemination or as a natural mating) to a non-highland cow. The first generation calf is called a 'C' Grade. This 'C' Grade cow to a pure Highland sire produces a 'B' Grade calf. This 'B' cow's calf is an 'A' Grade calf.
Under the current NZHCS constitution,only female 'graded' calves are allowed to be registered. The herd book was closed to new 'C' grades several years ago. An 'A' grade bull calf cannot be registered in the NZHCS herd book. However, this 'A' Grade Bull might be a good choice for a 'Terminal Sire'.