About the cattle

About the cattle:

The Romesdal fold of Highland cattle consists of seven cows and their followers; giving a total of fifteen beasts. For such a small fold many colours are represented. For example, we have black (two steers and a cow); dun (three females); and cows, calves and steers in white, red and yellow. Moreover, last year we put some of our Highlanders to a Whitebred Shorthorn bull and are awaiting this 'crop' of calves this coming Spring. We already have a yearling 'blue grey' cross heifer from last year from the same bull, which is going to a local Crofter as breeding animal.

Romesdal Highlanders are never housed. The contours or the land provide their shelter as do a belt of trees and an old drystane wall. Highland cattle are very hardy and hairy. They have two coats of hair, a fine inner coat and a long, shaggy and coarse outer coat. The inner coat keeps the body well insulated whilst the outer is a very efficient 'raincoat'. In fact, the cattle seem to be more bothered by hot and sunny weather than they are by cold, wet and windy weather. These traits have evolved over the centuries and have given the Highland breed its distinctive look.

Another distinctive mark of the Highland breed is, of course, the boad sweep of the horns. From watching our Highland cattle it is obvious that the horns function on different levels. For example, they make very effective tools, such as 'back scratchers'; and when using their horns in this mode the cattle tend to distort into odd shapes in attempts to reach awkward parts of the body. Another example of the horn used as a tool is when the older cows try and force it into the slightest crack in the barn door in an attempt to open the door and get at the food they know is inside. A cow without horns can't do that trick. Finally, there can be no doubt that horns also functions as a weapon, whether for attack or defence.

Highland cattle have evolved alongside predators such as the wolf, which makes them extremely agitated when they see the modern day descendant of the wolf, the dog. Now the Romesdal croft land is diagonally bisected by the road leading down to the old mill and the shore and a few, but not many, of the locals walk their dogs down the road to the shore.

If our Highlanders are in either of the fields adjacent to the road as dogs are on it most of the adults will express their disapproval by charging up and down the fence, bellowing as they do so, in an attempt presumeably to drive the dogs away or get at them and kill them. They also tend to react to dogs particularly badly when there are young calves in the fold. There is an exception to this golden rule of Highlander behaviour and that is with our own collie bitch, Jay, whom they will ignore or occasionally try to kick as most most have known her since birth.