Your Highland Cow
The Highlands just wouldn’t be the same without these amazing animals. Our beautiful Highland cattle live at the Highland Titles Nature Reserve in Duror, near Glencoe.
What do the Highland cows do?
They play a crucial role in maintaining the health and biodiversity of the land. These gentle giants help manage the vegetation, ensuring that the ecosystem remains balanced and vibrant. Their grazing habits promote the growth of native plants, which in turn supports a wide variety of wildlife. By adopting a Highland cow, you’re directly contributing to the conservation of this unique environment.
Can I visit my adopted Highland cow?
Yes, of course! You can visit any time, but if you want a Guided Tour then please buy tickets and arrange a visiting time with our nature reserve staff.
How does my donation help?
Your donation directly contributes to the costs of keeping the cows, including….
Feed: We need to ensure our cows have a balanced diet to keep them nice and healthy.
Veterinary Care: Providing regular health check-ups and treatments to prevent and manage any illnesses.
Shelter and Maintenance: Maintaining comfortable and safe shelters for the cows, especially during harsh weather conditions.
The backstory to ‘The Boys’
They were born on 1st March 2024 and they are twins.
It was a very shaky start as Mum was a ‘first-time calver’ and it turned out she did not have enough milk for the boys and just left them. Shannon, who used to work at the Reserve, had to take them in as orphans.
Latest Updates
March 2025
“A Mad March Update”
The almost constant very wet weather has taken its toll on the boys’ enclosure, as did the arrival of another set of hooves (yes Donald, we are talking about you!—seen here on the right). Felling the area of larch trees didn’t help either.
However, in record-breaking time, we have built a better, bigger area for them to spend the Summer (they mooo-ved yesterday), and the original enclosure will be recovered for Winter.
February 2025
It’s been a record-breaking wet winter, and Andy & Ewan’s enclosure has turned into a swamp! No grass means extra feed, and the boggy ground needs more straw to keep them dry.
To help, we’ve arranged for drainage ditches as a short-term fix and started work on a new Summer enclosure. Once complete, they’ll rotate between a Winter paddock (with shelter) and a drier Summer space.
Meanwhile, housekeeping is at double speed—before the boys finish eating and come looking for more! 🤩🤣 We’ll keep you posted as their new home takes shape!
January 2025
Andy and Ewan are thriving this January, despite frosty mornings and regular snowfalls on the reserve. Highland cows are incredibly hardy, with their thick double coat providing natural insulation, so they don’t need rugs, even in freezing conditions.
Our daily feeding runs and water checks ensure their troughs remain ice-free during the colder months. Though sturdy and well-suited to winter weather, Andy and Ewan are very friendly and sociable, often enjoying a good brush, which helps keep their coats healthy.
Their horns are growing steadily, a defining feature of their breed, used for digging through snow to find grass. True to their cheeky nature, they’re also partial to the odd escape attempt, keeping us entertained and on our toes!
December 2024
From May to December, what a transformation in just eight months! Look at those impressive horns—they still have about a year and a half to reach full size—and check out how much the boys have grown in that time.
Use the same fence post for comparison, and you’ll see just how much progress they’ve made. It’s incredible to witness their growth and development over such a short period.
Photo Gallery
The Boys
Visitors
Enclosure Construction
Shelter Construction
Video Gallery
Fun Facts
- Highland Cows are the oldest cattle breed in the world, appearing in the 6th century in the Outer Hebrides.
- You might have heard the term “the drove road” used in Highland history. These were the tracks through the Highlands where the farmers would take their cattle to market. They could only walk a few miles each day so would stay in different places every night so the animals could graze and stay safe. Ever heard the term, “arriving in droves?” We aren’t completely sure, but it may well have come from this.
- Back in the 18th century, cattle thieving was a huge problem. The clans were terrible for pinching each other’s cattle. Watches were set up, which farmers would pay to get their cows back. Rob Roy MacGregor operated as a watch, drover, cattle dealer and sometimes, a thief himself!
- Highland cows are often identified but their very impressive horn-age. These cows have whopping horns on their heads, which are very powerful, so don’t get too close or you might be skewered. Their horns serve a multitude of purposes though, helping them to rake up the snow and forage for food in the winter. Male horns are thicker than female horns, and they curve forward with a slight upwards rise near the tip of the horn. Female cows have thinner horns that have a more obvious upwards curve.
- Asides from their massive horns, Highland Cows are also known for their long, shaggy coats. These cows have two layers of long shaggy fur, the warm undercoat and the more oily overcoat. This helps to keep them cosy in the winter.
- Apparently, Queen Victoria, when visiting the Highlands is said to have commented that she liked the red coloured cows the best, so to try and please her highness, cows were selectively bred in that colouring. That is part of the reason we see so many ginger cows.
- The original coat colour of Highland cows was black, but the Victorians selectively bred for ginger cows, which led to the burnt orange colour most commonly seen today. White Highland cows, although rarer, are also part of the breed’s natural variation.
- Black is a dominant gene, meaning breeding two black cows usually results in black calves. However, red calves can still appear if both parents carry the recessive red gene.
- Breeding two red cows will always produce red calves, as they do not carry the dominant black gene. White calves, though uncommon, can occur depending on the genetic makeup of the parents.
- The range of coat colours in Highland cattle—including black, ginger, red, brindle, white, and even dun—reflects the rich genetic diversity of this historic breed.
- When a Heilan Cow gives birth, the calf will be able to stand and walk straight away and instantly recognises its mum. Mummy cow will look after and care for her baby for about 6 months, then it’s on its own. But by that point, it’s usually pretty big.
- The most known Highland Cow breed is usually ginger however there are also breeds with yellow, silver, white, red and black coats. The most common breed in the Highlands is the ginger one and they definitely fit well with the backdrop of dramatic Highland scenery.
- Highland Cows eat heaps. In fact, when they’re not sleeping, they’re usually always eating. They spent 8 hours a day munching away and consume almost 70kg of grass a day! That is the equivalent to about 70 pineapples in weight. They need it though, these are big cows.
