Miniature Scottish Highlands: while there are better breeds for beef, these animals work well on a small acreage, and keep the brush down as well.

Well hidden in a forest of oak, maple, birch and pine in North Stonington, Connecticut, is a herd of unusual looking animals. Short legged and very hairy, from a distance one might mistake them for a Shetland pony. But horses they are not. These rugged animals are a unique breed of beef cattle known as Scottish Highlands.

Owned by Nat and Pam Joslin, this herd of miniature Highlands live a quiet life of gently tranquility, roaming over about 40 acres of forest and pasture. The Joslins have been living on their ranch since 1984 and have been raising Highlands since 1989.

Nat grew up on a dairy farm but when he graduated from high school he got a job at a mill so he could "make some real money." But after his parents sold their dairy farm in 1969, he realized how much he enjoyed working with animals and missed having them around. He determined he would save up his money so that one day he would have a home and land enough to raise animals.

"I used to do a lot of traveling with my work," says Nat. "So I got to see a lot of different breeds of cattle including beefalo and miniature zebu. I finally decided I liked the Scottish Highlands because they were docile and relatively small as far as beef breeds go."

The Scottish Highlands, as you might guess, originated in Scotland and there are records of the breed as far back as the 12th century--making it the oldest of all registered European beef animals. Archeological evidence suggests they were around as far back as the 6th century. Incredibly hearty animals, their hairy hides and long horns enabled them to adapt to and survive in the sometimes harsh environment of the Scottish Highlands. According to Nat, early records indicate that the breed was a much smaller animal than it is today, weighing no more than 300 to 400 pounds. Improved nutrition over the years has resulted in an animal that regularly weighs over 1,000 pounds. Nat intends to get his herd back to the size they once were in previous centuries.

"The trend is for many Highland breeders to try to be competitive in the beef markets against the Angus and Hereford breeds," Nat explains. "But there is such a huge, well established gene pool for those major breeds that the Highlands simply don't have a chance to ever catch up."

Since the Scottish Highlands have little value as beef animals, Nat's goal is to breed smaller animals that can be more easily managed on just a few acres.

"They are a novelty in the world of beef cattle," says Nat. "People buy them both for the 'cut' factor and for keeping the brush down on their property. They're a good fit for the hobby farmer who's got a couple of acres or more."

Scottish Highlands subsist very well on a diet of leaves, weeds and marginal quality pasture grasses. They particularly enjoy browsing through the brambly underbrush of Joslin's forested domain. In some ways they can be compared to goats with the diets they prefer. But they're nowhere near as cantankerous or precocious as goats.

"One of the reasons the animals have become so popular in recent years," explains Nat, "is that they are natural browsers and can do very well on a few acres of woods and keep it nicely cleared of undergrowth."

The cattle are very easy to keep and don't require an expensive diet to stay healthy. The only thing Nat routinely treats them for is intestinal worms and parasites, which are ingested from the pasture; and that only has to be done a couple times per year. Because they are ruminants (animals with multiple stomachs to digest high fiber diets) the Highlands must have constant access to the high fiber supplied by the pasture and forest. And of course, as all animals do, they must have an ample supply of fresh water.

Nat also supplements his herd with an energy/vitamin/mineral supplement to ensure they remain healthy. He's found that the higher plane of nutrition especially helps with conception in the cows during breeding season. During the winter when the pasture is not growing or is covered with snow, he has locally grown forage available for them.

On a mid-summer walk through the shaded pastures of the Joslin homestead one comes across a number of cows with calves, some only a couple of days old and cute as a button. Mothers are not overly aggressive at the sight of a stranger walking in their pasture, but they never take their eyes off of their babies. Off in another corner of the property one can find a couple of bulls resting, chewing their cuds and seemingly ignoring intruders.

The Joslin's herd produces about 15 calves each year. Nat and Pam raise them to adults and breed the cows back to produce another calf. They then decide on which of those cows they will keep and which ones can be sold as they endeavor to miniaturize the herd. If a smaller bull is born, he will be kept to see if he will go on to sire smaller offspring. Mature cows now average about 600 to 700 pounds when fully grown and Nat says he'd like to get them even smaller. So far he hasn't had any trouble finding homes for the animals he wants to sell. Nat is a member of the American Highland Cattle As" sociation and all his cows and bulls are registered.

As more Connecticut residents build their homes in the forested areas of the state, it's Nat's hope that people who have several acres of land will consider taking one or two of these unique animals for pets that will also serve the useful function of keeping their property free of weeds and underbrush. The Highlands are environmentally friendly, easy to manage and ultimately give back much more than they take. Who knows, if this catches on, the miniature Scottish Highland may put the weed-whacker and brush-hog dealers out of business.