Eadon Highland Cattle

Our Highland Cattle Fold was started in 2005 and since then we have been building our Fold until we now have in excess of 100 cattle.

We will be holding our first annual on-farm auction of cattle on Sunday 9 October 2011. Among the cattle for sale will be cows either in-calf or with calf at foot. There is a mixture of Purebred and FullBlood cows. FullBlood bulls, and one PX Dun bull will be in the auction, along with 2 year old heifers and yearing heifers. Again, there are FullBlood and Purebred heifers for auction. Several have been shown, and all either have Show Passports or are awaiting them.

Highland Cattle originally came from the Highlands and West Coastal Islands of Scotland. They are able to survive in the harshest of environments - certainly anything that New Zealand can throw at them, and they just love living among the hills and rough country.

These beautiful cattle are a smaller size, meaning a farm can carry more of these lovable animals than other breeds of cattle. They are "lighter on their feet" meaning they don't cut the ground up as much as the heavier cattle.

Like all animals (and people) Highland cattle vary in temperament, but as a breed they are very friendly, and many can be handfed with such items as bread, lemons and grain. The cows pictured are fully grown and the bull, Eadon Cailean, is 2 1/2 years old. As you can see, he is very quiet. We have other photos with a number of children sitting on Cailean, along with Doug, who moved closer to his head. The calves are pretty, playful little creatures that look like teddy bears, although some say they resemble ewoks!

Highland cattle have lovely thick, long coats of hair which is well-oiled to shed rain and snow (which you won't find in the North). They shed their long hair in hot dry climates and grow new hair in winter.

Although many prefer the red colour, Highland Cattle also come in white, black, brindle, yellow and dun. We have a good range of colours among our fold, including black, red, yellow, brindle, dun - both silver and also a dark chocolate colour. The Highland cattle have graceful sweeping horns and a majestic appearance that delight the eye.

Highland Cows are excellent mothers and have little difficulty when calving. They love their calves and very rarely abandon them.

Expect your Highland cows to live around 18-20 years and rear 15 or more calves in that time.

Stud Bulls

Meet Black Bear of Ruatiti - our senior stud bull (left). Black Bear son of S.C.F. Black Shadow and Ruby Red of Ruatiti, has produced many winners at various A & P Shows for his previous owner, and we hope to follow in their footsteps.

Joining Black Bear as a stud bull, is Braco Tempest (right), son of Rushmore Bracken and Braco Savannah, who was born in 2006. Tempest has given us some lovely calves, but we have many cows and heifers with his bloodlines and he will be in the auction in October 2011.

Finally, we have Eadon Cailean (lower left), son of Neil of Braeburn and Fernlea of Glen Cannich. Cailean was born in 2008, and again he has given us some very nice calves. He is the bull pictured above, with Doug using him as a seat at the Helensville 2010 A & P Show.

With these three handsome bulls, we have had a wonderful "crop" of heifers including many Show cattle.