Embryos and donors available. Highlander breed
HIGLANDER BREED
A bovine breed originally from the Scottish highlands, it is characterized by its long and thick fur, mainly reddish or black in color, and long horns that can reach up to 1.60 metres. Widespread almost all over the world for some years now it is also bred in the regions of Northern Italy. Their thick fur allows them to live even in the most adverse climatic conditions.
Height at the withers of 1.20-1.30 meters and can reach a weight of 500/600 kg in females.
Considered a dual purpose breed, in Italy it was mainly imported for meat training, being very valuable and appreciated for its high protein content and low fat content.
GROWTH OF THE BREED
The history of the Highland breed can be traced back to two distinct populations:
one of smaller size, black in color, widespread especially in the islands of the west coast in the north of Scotland;
one of larger size, reddish in color, widespread instead in the most remote areas, the Highlands of Scotland and also one of a more precious white color than the others.
Nowadays the breed is considered unique, and also the heads of different colors of the coat are considered to belong to the same breed: in addition to the black and red of the original line, also the colors yellow, dark gray and silvery white[1].
The highlander breed is characterized by a short stature (around 1.2 meters), a weight between 500 and 600 kilograms, with large horns (even up to 1.6 meters) developed in a lyre shape (completely similar to buffaloes) and thick, long hair. The highland breed is usually well resistant to diseases, partly thanks to the long eyelashes and the down on the forehead, which takes on the function of protecting the eyes from insects.
Despite the wild look given by the bristly down that covers them, the specimens of this species are considered to have a calm and docile character but, given their origin from a territory and a highly wild climate, they are certainly not easy to raise, despite not require special care regarding the climate and housing. They tolerate harsh climates well, but can also adapt to more southern climates while still maintaining good health and production levels[1].
the highland breed is bred for the fine meat, of good quality, as it is leaner and lower in cholesterol; this is mainly due to the fact that their thick coat helps them maintain their body temperature at a high level, therefore without having to have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat.j