We don't even have fences for cows in Romania. They come back home at night by themselves. In the morning someone takes them to the pasture, there there is someone employed to keep an eye on them while they are at day-care and at night they come home. Smarter than kindergartners they are.
I have family who have cows, sheep, and horses and they use 4ft field fence with barbed wire. They have an electrified mesh fence for use when the sheep are out clearing land. The only time I've ever seen a 6ft fence on a farm was to keep deer out of a garden. Your videos are so great! You give us such a complete picture of life on your farm! The information and the videography are excellent! I hope you do not get discouraged by the know-it-alls and internet trolls. Everyone has an opinion, and it seems like the less experience a person has, the more they are inclined to share their opinions. You clearly do a great job on your farm. Thanks so much for sharing!
Most of the people who commenting from the U.S.A are ignorant & have no idea about farm life/homesteading!!! They’ve never seen cattle in real life, much less touch them/raise/slaughter or home them! Don’t let ignorant people get to you and affect you!! You are awesome and doing things the right/good way & ppl who have knowledge/experience know this!
We've stopped using barbed wire fence for 15+ years here.. I've never seen 6 ft fence to keep cattle. Your explanation is correct.. Plus barbed wire would injure the livestock way more then it would keep them safe. I'm only speaking as a farm hand growing up around it my whole life So I cant speak for all but that's how I know it. Cheers!
I am SO glad Sally is starting to integrate with the others. :) I think that calf (Bifin?) and his mother are really helping Sally socialize. If you have the time to let her, I think she can learn to be a good member of her fold. She seems to be a young heifer without much socialization. Cattle are social creatures; the more time you spend with her, and the more time she spends with the others, the more she will settle down. Handle them often so they are used to people (and being touched by people), as well as each other. It will make your life easier in the long run. As for the fencing, ignore all of us Americans. Do what works best for you on your land.
Great video! I love your bovine family. I used to see this breed at the Los Angeles (California) County Fair when I was a kid. It appears to be the European version of our Longhorns -- tough, resilient, with good mothering instincts and able to fend for itself with a minimum of human intervention. Also appreciate your insights re: the cultural aspects of fencing. Barbed wire is one of the symbols of the Taming of the American West and, as such, we Yanks will go to the mat to defend it, lol. I like your plan to develop your own micro-breed of beef cattle. Animal breeds (and plant varieties) are fluid things, changing over time according to both natural and human selection. Many homesteaders here on TH-cam are developing their own "versions " of chickens and crop plants to suit their unique needs -- why not do the same with cattle?! Keep up the good work!
I get "Beefen", we just got Hereford steer named "Chuck" (roast). My dad always said "You don't name your food", but I think this is a good compromise. It's a reminder to my wife and kids not to get too attached.
I'm not a farmer but grew up in the country and many of my relatives (my mother grew up on a small dairy farm) were. We had a couple of pigs and a milk cow when I was a kid. My grandparents raised a family of four on a 12 cow dairy herd. And my brothers and I had horses, pigs, cattle, chickens rabbits etc. at various times in our lives. In regard to cows, things are very different now from what it was like 20 or 30 years ago. Dairy is now run like a manufacturing venture. Huge herds and often no pasturing at all. Not really farming. Factory farms. Farm waste from hundreds of cows farms has become a big human health problem. Often contaminating ground water used for drinking. Here in the mid-west, fences were historically (during my lifetime) three strand barbed-wire set on cedar posts. Cedar posts were common and cheap and wire was also cheap. And I think there may be a couple of sociological differences between our two countries that affect the types of fencing we use. In this country individual property rights are enforced much more rigorously. Here, it's illegal to enter another person's property without written permission. We started out being much more social but that has changed. And much of the farm land here also has a lot of automobile traffic. And most people in this country drive like lunatics. Cows and horses on roadways of course don't mix well. Electric fencing is used often however and some farmers, especially those producing grass-fed beef, rotate fields being grazed by using portable electric fencing. A better approach in my opinion (as compared to grain fed beef). Interesting videos.
Cattle are herd animals, Sally seams to like her herd. sometimes a cow will calm down after having a calf. What is the meat quality? lean? We have Hereford and Angus for meat in the US. They have more fat (marbling) than the dairy breeds. Jersey and Holstein are very lean and take longer to reach maturity. Thanks for sharing Simeon.
Maybe if Sally had her own calf, that might be what she needs. Happy to see them all together!! Makes sense about the electric fence!! Sally was the topic at our dinner table last night! We decided Sally needs a baby calf to care for. Thank You for sharing your story, we're enjoying it. Good Luck, Vinny
Haha. That's wonderful. These might be the only cows that are talked about at the dinner table when they are not steaks on the plate. haha We'll see what we will do.
I was born and raised a dairy farmer in the US and I have never seen anyone use a 6' tall barb wire fence. We use electric wire just like you do, and I also have a herd of Highland Cattle, hands down the best breed I have ever raised. I'm thinking of crossbreeding them with herefords. Too bad you're all the way over in Sweden, I have a really nice bull that would go well in your herd.
Happy Thanksgiving from Michigan U.S.A. just for your infomation ...here in the states we call more than one cow as a herd of cows not a flock of cows. I knew what you meant. I like it when you explain things in both English and then translate to Swedish it is fun to learn different languages. Someday if I ever get to travel I will be able to understand a little bit of the language of the countries I would like to visit. The reason we have tall barbed wire fences here in the U.S. is to make sure our animals staymin the area we want them too. If a animal gets out and someone gets injured or the animal does any damage to someone else's property you are liable and you will be sued in court and it will cost you many thousands of dollars possible 10's of thousands of dollars if someone is injured. Here in the U.S. people sue other people far to much in my opinion but that is the world we live in, so it is financially necessary to do everything possible to keep your animals contained in their area.
I'm very familiar with farming here, U.S., and I've never seen a six foot barbed wire fence. That's just stupid. I think someone was pulling your leg (joking). Even for my cousin's buffalo, the fences were close to six feet, but with cable, not barbed wire, and the fence posts were similar to telephone poles.
Someone ,you did make me chuckle. when you described your small herd of cattle as a flock! your use of the English language is normally first rate.However only a minor slip , i think we'll allow this just the once Haha.
Thanks. Very interesting. I've often considered this breed, but I'm not sure it could tolerate our summers in the pacific northwest of the U.S. We do get real winters where I live, but it will also approach 100 F for a couple of weeks in the summer, averaging high 80s to 90s as well.
A Sally Cam would be fun to see once in a while, strap it to her head and we could see what she's up to for a day on fast forward. Happy Thanksgiving from Newton, New Hampshire, USA. Good job with the updates.
Barb wire is a pain to install for the fencer and it can as you said really injure a cow if she is scared into running through it it also down grades the quality of your hides if you are wanting to sell your hides for leather as it marks it up
The belted Galloway and Highland cross is an f1 hybrid so that 15-30% faster growth rate is the hybrid vigor I mentioned in a comment on a chicken video. .
no 6 foot fences here. My family used to raise cattle and any video you will see they are pretty short. Usually barbed though. You can hop them. 6 ft. plus fences are deer fences, for people trying to keep deer/game in or out.
good morning Simeon, i really love your outlook on homestead's and animals, you have a sensitive heart, its very good husbandry to have a relationship with your cows , sheep, chickens, i personally believe these animals have spirits, each having its own personality , they are gifts from God, and we are to be thankful for the service these animals provide, i believe one day we will be able to communicate with them, when Christ returns things will be different, thank you for the video today, i hope you will have a Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy being with your family .
We just use 4' tall (guess it might be US standard) fence for fields, we use electric wire to keep them grazing where we want. No barb wire except in the woods to mark our boundaries.
oh Simeon, could you answer this question, when do you get snow and have a real winter, have you been to the Alps, i would love to go see them and spend a lot of time exploring, thanks.
Yes, I have been to the Alps. They are absolutely beautiful. We can get snow already in October but it varies a lot from year to year. If the weather comes from the west, we get warm air and rain. If it comes from the east we usually get very cold winter. Most of the time winter comes to stay after Christmas and Newyear.
My grandfather raised beef cattle from the late fifties until1972 and then my father continued the same until 1994. I remember he used one electric fence wire in most of his pas.tures
4 ft fencing in UK for my traditional Hereford & Miniature Hereford cattle’s fine. Lack of grazing or water conditions for some breeds causes them to look for Greener fields
never heard of a 6 foot fence for cattle in the US. I hope these fences all the time when hunting. Barbed wire is usually used on the range here in the west on public land.
just a thought have you ever thought of breeding them with simatals probably spelled it wrong but anyway we raised them and the calf weight gain was great with them We pastured them and in the winter the got bales no feed other than grass and hay
have you found improvement in your pasture quality since having highland cattle? I ask because some of my family are dairy farmers and they reckon pasture is improved when the cows eat the grass and leave the weeds and the grass comes back stronger and chokes the weeds out. Does pasture still improve when the cows are eating the weeds too?
Me here from the states and one year experience in Australia. Barbed wire is not break proof nor escape proof. I have seen cows charge directly thru and break it. Down in the Murray Valley I saw multistrand high tensile fence that a cow would bouce off of. Trees blown over by storms would bouce too. If a herd got stampeded straight into it well that would break. As for subdiviving and daily moving Sally has one of two problems and I cant tell just by camera. First she might not be able to see that thin aluminum wire. Solved by using that electrical ribbon tape or possibly by the polywire electrical twine. Second she might not be getting enough shock fear from an underpowered or improperly grounded fence energizer. It is money well spent to get a fencer with the highest output as measured iby Joules. Ground rod driven meter and half into the ground and should be all set to leave a memorable impact to Sally. Such an impact she wont constently patrol the fence todiscover an escape path.
Just curious, how do you trim their hooves? I raise Nigerian Dwarf goats; trim hooves every 6 weeks. Huge difference in size from the cattle you're raising.
It is very rare that you have to trim their hooves if they go outside year around. Their weight takes care of it. I have more of a background with sheep as well where you had to trim hooves ofter.
A 6 foot barbwire fence us unneeded. Anyone that says you need that for cows they have never been on a farm. Cows really only need one row of electric fence wire but idealy 3 and also the electric fence keeps preditors away.
Swedish Homestead Highland cattle are known to be particularly difficult to handle, so I'm sure it wouldn't be worse than that. Still though, with a bull you want to be sure...and Hereford are popular for a reason! Speaking of which, are you planning on castrating or de-horning your bulls? Those big Highland horns would make me nervous on a bull, but it's not strictly necessary of course.
In Canada, on the large beef operations, they're fencing in many hundreds of acres of land. That would be pretty expensive to fence in electric fencing. For the smaller corrals they use wood. I'm sure there are some smaller places that use electrical fencing, but the prohibitive cost on the operations that are a section or more would make it pointless.
"a section is an area nominally one square mile (2.6 square kilometers), containing 640 acres (260 hectares)," That's a whole lot of area to try and fence in.
I grew up I a farm and my sister still has a farm and we have never seen a 6 foot barbed wire fence...she has a herd of 30 Scottish highland cows now and only uses a single electric line to keep them in...maybe people don't realize how gentle the Scottish highland cows are?
I mean how much space will you need per cow. My farm in Södermanland has about 20ha and am looking for options how to use it better. Currently a friend is using part of the area for his sheep, that area might be about 5ha which has a fence and is right next to the lake, which is used for water. How many cows could i have on that area for this kind of breed? Hope that this is clearer
Thank you. Well, this really depends on the kind of soil fertility you have and some other factors. In a drought the pasture will produce way less. If you just have one big fence around a 5ha field the cows are going to eat the yummy gras first and leave the not so tasty greens behind. We will only give them as much as they can eat in a day and move them daily which will double the production of the land. In Sweden where we live in general you say 1ha / cow with calf. But that is a very general term. We like to push the limits. We also produce chickens and eggs on the same pasture the cows are on so we double the production that way as well.
here in the wild west i have never seen a 6 ft tall cattle fence ... i have see 7ft tall deer fence but not cattle fence barb wire fence 4 to 5 ft tall but only a city slicker would think a spooked cow wouldnt go threw it . somebody has been watching to much tv
Swedish HomesteadI am from Tennessee don't know who told you that here we don't us electric fencing in the states we do but also have barb wear fences but are mostly used to enclose the farm to keep cattle in. Electric fences are used surround farms also but cows will sometimes jump over an electric fence. We also use rotation farming were cows are moved to a new pasture once a week or every 24 hours. The Scottish long hair cattle were brought to US by Scottish Immigrants so they are here also.
I know people use electric fence in the states. I was replying to some comments where viewers from the US talked about 6 foot tall barbed wire fences and how this one was a silly dog fence.
You are right, about the fence, that is someone who does not know about fencing. Also, you should just call them, cattle. Cows, are a female that has had at least one calf. Heifer, a female that hasn't had a calf. Steer, male that has been fixed to not produce.
Well. Personally I would nowadays always start a farm using several different animals to increase the production and net / acre. If you are into cattle I would start a grass-fed beef operation and would try to sell directly to the customer. This requires to build up a network of customers. I would also keep laying hens and move them over the pasture behind the cows. They sanitize the pasture by scratching through the cow manure and looking for feed. You will get incredibly high quality eggs at the same time as your cows will have less sicknesses. Check out Joel Salatin on Polyface farm. We copy his methods to a certain degree on our farm. Here are two links for you: Salad Bar Beef: th-cam.com/video/RHkIUcOB2vA/w-d-xo.html Broiler and Egg operation: th-cam.com/video/eDbn8ahhcZ8/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/zgVFmfibjeE/w-d-xo.html Hope this inspires you a little bit.
Thank you so much for your time and information. It sounds really good. I like how you have your Homestead, utilizing all the different animals. I have watched that video before by Joel Salatin it is a great bit of information.I found you site when I was watching wranglerstar and now I am hooked on watching your channel. What I like is the practicality of your farm. You make it look so easy and simple with all your animals. It is so entertaining for me and my wife to watch your videos before we go to bed.Thank you so much for your help and God bless you and your family.Andrew Pryor John 3:16
I've never asked this before... (and a bit nervous because part of me wants to be ignorant...) but how are these cows killed when they go to the slaughterhouse?
Aunty Keli In slaughterhouses they get taken individually into a stunning box and get a bolt in the head. If they are rendered unconscious they get dropped from the box turned upside down and hung by a leg to stop thrashing (they are still unconscious, but muscle reflexes come from the spinal chord). Finally, they are bled out by slitting the throats with a sharp blade. Some homsteaders use guns to kill their cattle and they then bleed the animal out much like at a slaughterhouse, but the gun kills rather than stuns. Halal and Kosher is when the animal isn't stunned, but a very sharp blade is used to the throat. The animal doesn't feel a sharp blade and they bleed out dying within seconds as the brain can't function without oxygen. The must ethical way is debatable. A study in Germany found Kosher/Halal to be more humane, which might sound oxymoronic when the animal isn't stunned, but the pain from stunning and failure to stop brain signals. The home-kill might be the most humane as the animal instantly dies and isn't stressed by transportation, but all mentioned ways are acceptably humane in my opinion. If you can't accept animal slaughter, save your conscience and go vegetarian or vegan.
To increase the efficiency and electivenes of your electric fencing especially with young animals, tie small bits of rag to it so that it is highly visible and announcing it as "The limit". Mature animals will no longer test it.
I KNOW MANY PEOPLE IN SOUTH CAROLINA USA THAT HAVE ELECTRIC FENCING FOR THEIR LIVESTOCK, CATTLE AND HORSES, AND THEY HAVE NO PROBLEMS.....LIKE YOU SAID SIMPLY SELL OR SLAUGHTER THE ONES THAT GET OUT ALOT.
The little bull calf jumped up onto the hay after Sally walked up behind him & started sniffing him. I think he did it to move away from the investigation.
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We don't even have fences for cows in Romania. They come back home at night by themselves. In the morning someone takes them to the pasture, there there is someone employed to keep an eye on them while they are at day-care and at night they come home. Smarter than kindergartners they are.
That's milking cows. They will do that. But for Oxen and beef breeds you cannot get away without a fence, even in Romania.
I have family who have cows, sheep, and horses and they use 4ft field fence with barbed wire. They have an electrified mesh fence for use when the sheep are out clearing land. The only time I've ever seen a 6ft fence on a farm was to keep deer out of a garden.
Your videos are so great! You give us such a complete picture of life on your farm! The information and the videography are excellent! I hope you do not get discouraged by the know-it-alls and internet trolls. Everyone has an opinion, and it seems like the less experience a person has, the more they are inclined to share their opinions. You clearly do a great job on your farm. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks Mike. I appreciate that.
Thank you for giving these Scottish cows a good life!
Most of the people who commenting from the U.S.A are ignorant & have no idea about farm life/homesteading!!! They’ve never seen cattle in real life, much less touch them/raise/slaughter or home them! Don’t let ignorant people get to you and affect you!! You are awesome and doing things the right/good way & ppl who have knowledge/experience know this!
We've stopped using barbed wire fence for 15+ years here.. I've never seen 6 ft fence to keep cattle. Your explanation is correct.. Plus barbed wire would injure the livestock way more then it would keep them safe. I'm only speaking as a farm hand growing up around it my whole life So I cant speak for all but that's how I know it. Cheers!
I agree with you. Thanks for the comment.
I am SO glad Sally is starting to integrate with the others. :)
I think that calf (Bifin?) and his mother are really helping Sally socialize. If you have the time to let her, I think she can learn to be a good member of her fold. She seems to be a young heifer without much socialization. Cattle are social creatures; the more time you spend with her, and the more time she spends with the others, the more she will settle down.
Handle them often so they are used to people (and being touched by people), as well as each other. It will make your life easier in the long run.
As for the fencing, ignore all of us Americans. Do what works best for you on your land.
I'm so glad to have found this brilliant channel. Thank you for sharing it all as well.
Thanks. Glad you found us.
Great video! I love your bovine family. I used to see this breed at the Los Angeles (California) County Fair when I was a kid. It appears to be the European version of our Longhorns -- tough, resilient, with good mothering instincts and able to fend for itself with a minimum of human intervention. Also appreciate your insights re: the cultural aspects of fencing. Barbed wire is one of the symbols of the Taming of the American West and, as such, we Yanks will go to the mat to defend it, lol. I like your plan to develop your own micro-breed of beef cattle. Animal breeds (and plant varieties) are fluid things, changing over time according to both natural and human selection. Many homesteaders here on TH-cam are developing their own "versions " of chickens and crop plants to suit their unique needs -- why not do the same with cattle?! Keep up the good work!
So glad to see you got the highlands back they are such great cows
Thank you for talking about fencing. I’ve been wondering about this type of fence. Looks like it’s working well.
Very interesting - thank you for taking the time to explain all of this
Thanks for doing the overview, my wife's second favorite cow is the Belted Galloway so we cant wait for future updates....!!
That's cool. Not sure when that will be though.
Since your wife is from the US "Happy Thanksgiving".
Thank you. The same to you.
I get "Beefen", we just got Hereford steer named "Chuck" (roast). My dad always said "You don't name your food", but I think this is a good compromise. It's a reminder to my wife and kids not to get too attached.
Haha, That's funny.
I'm not a farmer but grew up in the country and many of my relatives (my mother grew up on a small dairy farm) were. We had a couple of pigs and a milk cow when I was a kid. My grandparents raised a family of four on a 12 cow dairy herd. And my brothers and I had horses, pigs, cattle, chickens rabbits etc. at various times in our lives.
In regard to cows, things are very different now from what it was like 20 or 30 years ago. Dairy is now run like a manufacturing venture. Huge herds and often no pasturing at all. Not really farming. Factory farms. Farm waste from hundreds of cows farms has become a big human health problem. Often contaminating ground water used for drinking.
Here in the mid-west, fences were historically (during my lifetime) three strand barbed-wire set on cedar posts. Cedar posts were common and cheap and wire was also cheap.
And I think there may be a couple of sociological differences between our two countries that affect the types of fencing we use. In this country individual property rights are enforced much more rigorously. Here, it's illegal to enter another person's property without written permission. We started out being much more social but that has changed. And much of the farm land here also has a lot of automobile traffic. And most people in this country drive like lunatics. Cows and horses on roadways of course don't mix well.
Electric fencing is used often however and some farmers, especially those producing grass-fed beef, rotate fields being grazed by using portable electric fencing. A better approach in my opinion (as compared to grain fed beef).
Interesting videos.
"Fence fashion" differs from place to place depending on what the railroad [and Highways] demanded. My love is "chicken tunnels ". lol.
Cattle are herd animals, Sally seams to like her herd. sometimes a cow will calm down after having a calf.
What is the meat quality? lean? We have Hereford and Angus for meat in the US. They have more fat (marbling) than the dairy breeds. Jersey and Holstein are very lean and take longer to reach maturity.
Thanks for sharing Simeon.
Highland Cattle is among the best meat you can have, wonderful marbling. It is famous in Scotland.
I like your water trough. We had to go to old cast iron tubs because our Highland bull destroys all other types.
We had 200 aces with 100 heifers with only 1 strand of wire. it worded great. It was a cow calf operation. We sold the calf every fall.
Nice.
Nice Coooes! Another good breed that are one of the oldest in Britain are the Chillingham cattle!
My uncle once told me that it doesn't matter the breed of cow, if it wants to run through a fence, it will. He has beef cattle.
Maybe if Sally had her own calf, that might be what she needs. Happy to see them all together!! Makes sense about the electric fence!! Sally was the topic at our dinner table last night! We decided Sally needs a baby calf to care for. Thank You for sharing your story, we're enjoying it. Good Luck, Vinny
Haha. That's wonderful. These might be the only cows that are talked about at the dinner table when they are not steaks on the plate. haha
We'll see what we will do.
I was born and raised a dairy farmer in the US and I have never seen anyone use a 6' tall barb wire fence. We use electric wire just like you do, and I also have a herd of Highland Cattle, hands down the best breed I have ever raised. I'm thinking of crossbreeding them with herefords. Too bad you're all the way over in Sweden, I have a really nice bull that would go well in your herd.
Thanks for the info. That would be nice with exchanging bulls. ;)
Ohh, she's still there! Cool cool. :D Have a great evening, Simeon.
Thanks. You too.
I'm in the US and i do it the same as you.
Barbed wire is not necessary. Do not worry. It has more negatives than positives to use a wire that can cut the cattle.
Hello they are lovely. Thank you for sharing.
Happy Thanksgiving from Michigan U.S.A. just for your infomation ...here in the states we call more than one cow as a herd of cows not a flock of cows. I knew what you meant. I like it when you explain things in both English and then translate to Swedish it is fun to learn different languages. Someday if I ever get to travel I will be able to understand a little bit of the language of the countries I would like to visit.
The reason we have tall barbed wire fences here in the U.S. is to make sure our animals staymin the area we want them too. If a animal gets out and someone gets injured or the animal does any damage to someone else's property you are liable and you will be sued in court and it will cost you many thousands of dollars possible 10's of thousands of dollars if someone is injured. Here in the U.S. people sue other people far to much in my opinion but that is the world we live in, so it is financially necessary to do everything possible to keep your animals contained in their area.
Yeah, I think the whole suing issue is a big thing in the States.
I'm very familiar with farming here, U.S., and I've never seen a six foot barbed wire fence. That's just stupid. I think someone was pulling your leg (joking). Even for my cousin's buffalo, the fences were close to six feet, but with cable, not barbed wire, and the fence posts were similar to telephone poles.
I think the baby is so cute awwww just give him a hugs --how do you resist :) great job--wtg sally hang in there girl love the video god bless
Nice video, my wife really likes all of your animals as do I.
Thank you.
Someone ,you did make me chuckle.
when you described your small herd of cattle as a flock! your use of the English language is normally first rate.However only a minor slip , i think we'll allow this just the once Haha.
Haha. Thanks.
I love that baby!!! Soooo cute!!
Thanks. Very interesting. I've often considered this breed, but I'm not sure it could tolerate our summers in the pacific northwest of the U.S. We do get real winters where I live, but it will also approach 100 F for a couple of weeks in the summer, averaging high 80s to 90s as well.
Steven Bates Highlands are raised successfully down here in TN, even though our summers.
A Sally Cam would be fun to see once in a while, strap it to her head and we could see what she's up to for a day on fast forward. Happy Thanksgiving from Newton, New Hampshire, USA. Good job with the updates.
That would be funny. A GoPro cam on her head.
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
Barb wire is a pain to install for the fencer and it can as you said really injure a cow if she is scared into running through it it also down grades the quality of your hides if you are wanting to sell your hides for leather as it marks it up
Sally survived!! Nice lol
The belted Galloway and Highland cross is an f1 hybrid so that 15-30% faster growth rate is the hybrid vigor I mentioned in a comment on a chicken video. .
no 6 foot fences here. My family used to raise cattle and any video you will see they are pretty short. Usually barbed though. You can hop them. 6 ft. plus fences are deer fences, for people trying to keep deer/game in or out.
good morning Simeon, i really love your outlook on homestead's and animals, you have a sensitive heart, its very good husbandry to have a relationship with your cows , sheep, chickens, i personally believe these animals have spirits, each having its own personality , they are gifts from God, and we are to be thankful for the service these animals provide, i believe one day we will be able to communicate with them, when Christ returns things will be different, thank you for the video today, i hope you will have a Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy being with your family .
Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
Poor Lisa. Sally is a bully. This was quite enjoyable.
We just use 4' tall (guess it might be US standard) fence for fields, we use electric wire to keep them grazing where we want. No barb wire except in the woods to mark our boundaries.
Thanks. Interesting.
Love the video - however unlike all other cattle breeds - Highland cattle herds are actually called "folds." This comes from Scottish English.
I’m here in the states and I’ve never seen a 6ft fence for cattle and I’ve seen many ranches and farms in various states.
oh Simeon, could you answer this question, when do you get snow and have a real winter, have you been to the Alps, i would love to go see them and spend a lot of time exploring, thanks.
Yes, I have been to the Alps. They are absolutely beautiful. We can get snow already in October but it varies a lot from year to year. If the weather comes from the west, we get warm air and rain. If it comes from the east we usually get very cold winter. Most of the time winter comes to stay after Christmas and Newyear.
Do you have a 1 inch electric fence tape in Sweden ? It may be more visible to the cattle.
Sally could be shortsighted!
My grandfather raised beef cattle from the late fifties until1972 and then my father continued the same until 1994. I remember he used one electric fence wire in most of his pas.tures
Nice. I think that is plenty for the cows.
Highland cattle are excellent in so many ways even their hides and horns are valuable. Their meat is really tasty as well, great marbling.
I agree.
Just came across your channel, love this breed! Not sure if you still have Lizzie, she's beautiful...by the way that's my name. Love her
4 ft fencing in UK for my traditional Hereford & Miniature Hereford cattle’s fine. Lack of grazing or water conditions for some breeds causes them to look for Greener fields
never heard of a 6 foot fence for cattle in the US. I hope these fences all the time when hunting. Barbed wire is usually used on the range here in the west on public land.
yes Sally is outstanding :)
That baby is so cute...!
The hide is valuable and barbed wire damages the hide. Are the hide from these cows used? And if so, are they used the same as short hair hides?
You can use them. We have no experience with that.
just a thought have you ever thought of breeding them with simatals probably spelled it wrong but anyway we raised them and the calf weight gain was great with them We pastured them and in the winter the got bales no feed other than grass and hay
have you found improvement in your pasture quality since having highland cattle? I ask because some of my family are dairy farmers and they reckon pasture is improved when the cows eat the grass and leave the weeds and the grass comes back stronger and chokes the weeds out. Does pasture still improve when the cows are eating the weeds too?
I love this channel. Thanks
Thanks you.
We have West highland cattle in Saratoga ny. Awesome animals
I love this channel! My wife who is not really into to farming just ask me is sally ok lol
TheTeetee85 haha. That is funny! Wonderful!
liking yours videos keep them coming . I have a question how much milk can a highlander produce & do you and your Family consume the milk ? thanx
Me here from the states and one year experience in Australia. Barbed wire is not break proof nor escape proof. I have seen cows charge directly thru and break it. Down in the Murray Valley I saw multistrand high tensile fence that a cow would bouce off of. Trees blown over by storms would bouce too. If a herd got stampeded straight into it well that would break. As for subdiviving and daily moving Sally has one of two problems and I cant tell just by camera. First she might not be able to see that thin aluminum wire. Solved by using that electrical ribbon tape or possibly by the polywire electrical twine. Second she might not be getting enough shock fear from an underpowered or improperly grounded fence energizer. It is money well spent to get a fencer with the highest output as measured iby Joules. Ground rod driven meter and half into the ground and should be all set to leave a memorable impact to Sally. Such an impact she wont constently patrol the fence todiscover an escape path.
Just curious, how do you trim their hooves? I raise Nigerian Dwarf goats; trim hooves every 6 weeks. Huge difference in size from the cattle you're raising.
It is very rare that you have to trim their hooves if they go outside year around. Their weight takes care of it. I have more of a background with sheep as well where you had to trim hooves ofter.
We use electric fence,barbed wire,and strong fence
A heard is how we call them, they look great....
Happy Thanksgiving. We love those highlander cattle. Do you have your own bull?
Jeanette Norton not yet.
A 6 foot barbwire fence us unneeded. Anyone that says you need that for cows they have never been on a farm. Cows really only need one row of electric fence wire but idealy 3 and also the electric fence keeps preditors away.
I agree.
Have you considered getting an Angus bull? Easy births, good on grass, nice growth, great meat. And scottish, too! :P Worth looking into.
A friend of mine has had them and said that he didn't like them. They not very calm he said.
Swedish Homestead Highland cattle are known to be particularly difficult to handle, so I'm sure it wouldn't be worse than that. Still though, with a bull you want to be sure...and Hereford are popular for a reason! Speaking of which, are you planning on castrating or de-horning your bulls? Those big Highland horns would make me nervous on a bull, but it's not strictly necessary of course.
I have never heard of anyone dehorning Highlands. We will have a Belted Galloway bull. They don't have horns and all the calfs will have no horns.
The bull does not speak English! I enjoy your videos.
In Canada, on the large beef operations, they're fencing in many hundreds of acres of land. That would be pretty expensive to fence in electric fencing. For the smaller corrals they use wood. I'm sure there are some smaller places that use electrical fencing, but the prohibitive cost on the operations that are a section or more would make it pointless.
I don't understand that. Electric fencing is the cheapest you can get over here.
"a section is an area nominally one square mile (2.6 square kilometers), containing 640 acres (260 hectares)," That's a whole lot of area to try and fence in.
I don't know if you've heard of Luing cattle, another breed from Scotland. Use a Beef Shorthorn bull and develop your own strain.
Fina djur du har 👍🏽
In traveling around the Midwest we have never seen 6 ft barded wire fences.
No dairy then? Very interesting videos, by the way. I especially like the chickens.
I grew up I a farm and my sister still has a farm and we have never seen a 6 foot barbed wire fence...she has a herd of 30 Scottish highland cows now and only uses a single electric line to keep them in...maybe people don't realize how gentle the Scottish highland cows are?
Maybe they don't...
Hej, what are the area requirements for the cows and the cross breads? I.e. how many hectars per cow? Cheers, keep on rocking...
Not sure what you mean. Do you mean how many cow days we get / acre?
I mean how much space will you need per cow. My farm in Södermanland has about 20ha and am looking for options how to use it better. Currently a friend is using part of the area for his sheep, that area might be about 5ha which has a fence and is right next to the lake, which is used for water. How many cows could i have on that area for this kind of breed? Hope that this is clearer
Thank you.
Well, this really depends on the kind of soil fertility you have and some other factors. In a drought the pasture will produce way less.
If you just have one big fence around a 5ha field the cows are going to eat the yummy gras first and leave the not so tasty greens behind. We will only give them as much as they can eat in a day and move them daily which will double the production of the land.
In Sweden where we live in general you say 1ha / cow with calf. But that is a very general term. We like to push the limits. We also produce chickens and eggs on the same pasture the cows are on so we double the production that way as well.
Dabeef! Man, that little cow is cute. :D
Yes. They are like little Teddy bears.
here in the wild west i have never seen a 6 ft tall cattle fence ... i have see 7ft tall deer fence but not cattle fence barb wire fence 4 to 5 ft tall but only a city slicker would think a spooked cow wouldnt go threw it . somebody has been watching to much tv
Haha. Yes, I think so too.
Yarn spinners like the hair from the Highlands to spin.
nice cattles
We love Sally
Haha. She's a star!
In England animals being fed like that we call them free range and it make the meat Quality healthier and tasted better
Swedish HomesteadI am from Tennessee don't know who told you that here we don't us electric fencing in the states we do but also have barb wear fences but are mostly used to enclose the farm to keep cattle in. Electric fences are used surround farms also but cows will sometimes jump over an electric fence. We also use rotation farming were cows are moved to a new pasture once a week or every 24 hours. The Scottish long hair cattle were brought to US by Scottish Immigrants so they are here also.
I know people use electric fence in the states. I was replying to some comments where viewers from the US talked about 6 foot tall barbed wire fences and how this one was a silly dog fence.
You are right, about the fence, that is someone who does not know about fencing. Also, you should just call them, cattle. Cows, are a female that has had at least one calf. Heifer, a female that hasn't had a calf. Steer, male that has been fixed to not produce.
you keep calling the herd a flock and i keep looking for their wings lol
Buffalo wings, you know. ;)
I want to start a cattle ranch. What would you suggest as my first step. Should I raise them to sell the calves? Or what would you suggest? Thanks
Do you live in the States?
Yes Sir. I live in California but I am looking to move to the country and I'm looking into getting cattle
Well. Personally I would nowadays always start a farm using several different animals to increase the production and net / acre. If you are into cattle I would start a grass-fed beef operation and would try to sell directly to the customer. This requires to build up a network of customers.
I would also keep laying hens and move them over the pasture behind the cows. They sanitize the pasture by scratching through the cow manure and looking for feed. You will get incredibly high quality eggs at the same time as your cows will have less sicknesses.
Check out Joel Salatin on Polyface farm. We copy his methods to a certain degree on our farm. Here are two links for you:
Salad Bar Beef:
th-cam.com/video/RHkIUcOB2vA/w-d-xo.html
Broiler and Egg operation:
th-cam.com/video/eDbn8ahhcZ8/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/zgVFmfibjeE/w-d-xo.html
Hope this inspires you a little bit.
Thank you so much for your time and information. It sounds really good. I like how you have your Homestead, utilizing all the different animals. I have watched that video before by Joel Salatin it is a great bit of information.I found you site when I was watching wranglerstar and now I am hooked on watching your channel. What I like is the practicality of your farm. You make it look so easy and simple with all your animals. It is so entertaining for me and my wife to watch your videos before we go to bed.Thank you so much for your help and God bless you and your family.Andrew Pryor John 3:16
Thanks Andrew. Glad you're with us. God bless.
Like I said before you have beautiful animals in your herd. Flocks are for chickens ;)
Thanks. ;) I don't think I will make that mistake again. Got at least 10 comments on that.
Do scottish Highland Cattle produce high quality milk?
I've never asked this before... (and a bit nervous because part of me wants to be ignorant...) but how are these cows killed when they go to the slaughterhouse?
Aunty Keli In slaughterhouses they get taken individually into a stunning box and get a bolt in the head. If they are rendered unconscious they get dropped from the box turned upside down and hung by a leg to stop thrashing (they are still unconscious, but muscle reflexes come from the spinal chord). Finally, they are bled out by slitting the throats with a sharp blade. Some homsteaders use guns to kill their cattle and they then bleed the animal out much like at a slaughterhouse, but the gun kills rather than stuns. Halal and Kosher is when the animal isn't stunned, but a very sharp blade is used to the throat. The animal doesn't feel a sharp blade and they bleed out dying within seconds as the brain can't function without oxygen. The must ethical way is debatable. A study in Germany found Kosher/Halal to be more humane, which might sound oxymoronic when the animal isn't stunned, but the pain from stunning and failure to stop brain signals. The home-kill might be the most humane as the animal instantly dies and isn't stressed by transportation, but all mentioned ways are acceptably humane in my opinion. If you can't accept animal slaughter, save your conscience and go vegetarian or vegan.
To increase the efficiency and electivenes of your electric fencing especially with young animals, tie small bits of rag to it so that it is highly visible and announcing it as "The limit". Mature animals will no longer test it.
Belted-Galloways too are excellent meat, just as good as Angus. Will you be using artificial insemination?
Från och med 1 januari 2010 får inte taggtråd förekomma för inhägnad av hästar och andra flyktdjur. Därför ser man inte dessa mer i Sverige.
I KNOW MANY PEOPLE IN SOUTH CAROLINA USA THAT HAVE ELECTRIC FENCING FOR THEIR LIVESTOCK, CATTLE AND HORSES, AND THEY HAVE NO PROBLEMS.....LIKE YOU SAID SIMPLY SELL OR SLAUGHTER THE ONES THAT GET OUT ALOT.
How much USD$ for the cow/calf? Bull price?
when lizzie moved away from the feed thats what spooked sally then the young one
The little bull calf jumped up onto the hay after Sally walked up behind him & started sniffing him. I think he did it to move away from the investigation.
Cows go through barbed wire fences all the time and never miss a beat. Horses, on the other hand, will get shredded by the barbed wire.
Looks like she's gonna live?
Well I can tell you they run threw barbwire also especially calf's they have no fear.
I agree.
Hot wires teach your livestock to respect the fenses