Are their any disadvantages of highland cattle?

Answer 1

The only disadvantages that a modern cattle producer would find with highlands are their horns, their thick hair, their small size, and their tendancy to not be as beefy as other breeds that are commonly used for beef production. Horns are dangerous and docked for at the auction mart. The thick hair makes them a problem to handle when there is an electric fence because the hair acts as an insulator, enabling them to simply walk through a hot-wire without feeling much of anything.

Answer 2

Angus is a highly popular breed in North America, especially in the USA, which takes over the aspect of wanting to raise something else besides some breed that has a black hide on it. They're also thin skinned and black, making them very poorly adapted to tropical climates that Brahman cattle thrive in, Angus cattle can also be a bit flighty or have more nasty-tempered bulls and cows than other more calmer breeds like Hereford or Shorthorn, depending on genetics. Also, some people don't care for the heavy marbling and bland taste of Angus beef. Other disadvantages include:

• Increased popularity means more animals are being raised have a high chance of being very poor quality cattle, but this differs from one cattleperson to another.
• Increased popularity and a higher population means that more genetic deformities are apt to occur
• Increase in popularity means far more selection for much larger animals.
• As mentioned above, lack of docility and bad temperament may be a problem for those new to raising cattle, making it not a desirable breed for a beginner, especially if they do not do their research beforehand.
• Too many variations as far as rate of maturity, fertility and conformation is concerned due to a popular demand in this breed.
• Some strains are more early maturing than desired, others are more late-maturing than desired.
• Angus cattle are just as able to have problems with prolapses, huge calves that require C-section or a hard pull, pinkeye, cancer-eye and other disorders that other breeds have been known for
• Angus breed is not 100% pure, unlike what the American Angus Association likes to make most believe. There are undeniably infusions of several breeds into this breed to help improve (or "improve") it, being Holsteins/Freisians, Shorthorns, Jerseys, Chianina and possibly other Continentals like Maine Anjou and Limousin. There are certain strains that are more terminal than the traditional Scottish Angus are, and others that are more dairy than traditional Angus are or should be.

Answer 3

As everyone should know, no breed of cattle is perfect. Thus the disadvantages of Hereford cattle include the following:

• Not all Herefords are calm, docile animals. You will still get the occasional crazy animal.
• Milk production is deemed poor by most breeders.
• Best as a maternal breed, not fraternal/terminal - this means they are better off as a breed for producing females than for producing cattle destined for the feedlot.
• Not exactly suitable for areas which produce high-quality forage on a consistent basis. These cows are more for the poorer-quality rangelands versus the high-quality pastures suitable for larger, more nutritient-demanding cows (such as dairy cows)
• When finishing, can put on fat too quickly too soon, creating more waste in terms of fat in the carcass than what is desirable. This is more in reference to high-concentrate diets versus grass-finishing diets.
• Small to moderate-frame size
• Not black (still important in the USA beef market--black hides get you the premiums)
• Some past strains prone to sunburned udders, pink-eye, cancer-eye, and vaginal prolpases
• Many strains are horned, though increasingly more strains are polled
• Some people don't like the rugged, rough looks of Hereford cows, others do.

Answer 4

They are not a very lean well marbled meat.