Who produces highland cow milk? Can you buy it??

[Cowmangav]

DNA testing shows that there is about 10% Highland genetics in modern Ayrshire dairy cattle - due to crosses made more than 150 years ago. Ayrshire milk was always considered especially suitable for cheese making. Mossgiel farm ( with Burns connections ) , Mauchline milk is availalble in Edinburgh.

 

[Blaithin]

Highlands are known for their incredibly rich and creamy milk. However not for high production. I’m also unsure how their milk compares to better milk for cheese. You may want to look into the components like protein, casein and lactic acid.

The problems you may run into looking for a highland in milk is that they aren’t always the best at share milking. They hold up well for their calves. And if you’re to wean the calf to milk them all out, they don’t always have the longest lactations. I have a highland x jersey and she’s a serious pansy. She produces at least 6-8 gallons a day (I’ll never know for sure because you can’t milk the bitch) and she will wean her own calf and dry herself up at 5 months before sharing anymore milk with anything. These are traits that aren’t very common with Jerseys but beef breeds are definitely capable of it.

Find the right cows and I’m sure you could get a basic amount of milk from them weekly for however short their lactation is (doubtful a highland would milk well for ten months like a dairy breed).

Instead of getting hung up on a breed, especially one that isn’t really geared to what you’re wanting, you might instead look for a farm or two that matches your idea. A couple small run operations with a couple house cows who are part of the family kind of idea. They may be dairy breeds, they may be dairy x beef, but they’ll most likely be better suited to supplying what you’re after.

(I’m disappointed with the filter change to pansy. I understand not wanting to say the word I said but pansy is not nearly close enough to my feelings for the cow )

 

[JP1]

There was a chap on here years ago looking at milking Belted Galloways

I suppose in theory you could have calf on cow and milk a few once a day to get to the milk without depriving the calf growth


An interesting marketing angle

Why not try my friend Izzy Rainey to start : https://www.izzirainey.com/our-story.html#/ , she's in Norfolk but just down the road from a couple of calf on cow raw milk farmers who could therefore assist with practical on-farm small scale dairying advice / equipment / packaging / transport know-how and she has her own "brand" for her Highland and design work so could be a complimentary business partner for you ?

 

[crofteress]

There are some women in appin milk highlanders . They do ice cream with it. I can't remember their name but they do milk highlanders which to me sounds insane but apparently they are really nice girls and do really well at it

 

[manhill]

Would never be as good as Channel Island milk but at least they can convert poorer grazing to something useful.

 

[Woolless]

DNA testing shows that there is about 10% Highland genetics in modern Ayrshire dairy cattle - due to crosses made more than 150 years ago. Ayrshire milk was always considered especially suitable for cheese making. Mossgiel farm ( with Burns connections ) , Mauchline milk is availalble in Edinburgh.

This is the route I'd be going down. I think the farmer at Mossgiel is an 'ethical dairy' and organic and Ayrshires are of course a native Scottish breed. And he won't need a crash helmet to milk his coos!

 

[Woolless]

I would be interested to see that documentary, do you have a link? Half of my family hail from there originally and I have been countless times

Search for 'highland cattle of Ardbhan' on BBC i-player. It's well worth a watch

 

[Agrivator]

Both Highlanders and Galloways have been used routinely as house cows in remote areas. Both are very quiet breeds when handled properly, but with any low-yielding cow, the trick in stimulating milk-letdown is to have the calf sucking the cow on the left side, while you milk her on the right side.

A prominent photo of the event in the restaurant would be a tremendous marketing aid, and it would convince the ''food-safety inspector'' that the milk had been produced to avery high welfare standard. The crofter would of course be allowed to wear whatever gear is part of crofting culture, including having a shinty stick to hand, just in case.

 

[cheviot53]

What about looking at Shetland cattle they are classed as dual purpose . Try ACCIDENTAL SMALLHOLDER

 

[nails]

No problem milking Highland cows

 

[Agrivator]

No problem milking Highland cows

First class, but his milking stool could do with a bit of improvement.

 

[farmboy]

You catch it and hold it still, I’ll milk it!

 

[Jockers84]

Just get the high fat Jersey milk from the supermarket and stick it in another bottle. I can't see you finding a steady supplier without paying a fortune and that's without factoring in the time costs.

 

[BELOWAVERAGE]

Rather you than me, they’ll surely be taking the same space up as a productive cow though?

Maybe you’re just the fella @RGchef is looking for, as Isuspect he’ll struggle to find anyone to supply ‘pure’ Highland milk. That is only posted partly in jest, there may well be an opportunity for both parties to come to a mutually beneficial agreement?

Depends what you call productive, the brown swiss cross will do 6500 litres easy, thats plenty for me, the others will be nearer 4000 not enough really but they don't eat alot, its not like feeding a holstein. I wouldn't be the man he's looking for.

 

[clod hopper]

You've not lived, we've a couple of highland cross's here, got a big highland cross brown swiss due to calve in the next day or two, not the prettiest udder's but no problem in the parlour, and enough milk.

Be like trying to milk Chewbacca's wife I'd imagine! ?

 

[BELOWAVERAGE]

Be like trying to milk Chewbacca's wife I'd imagine! ?

I had to google that, ok in summer but they do get a bit hairy in winter.