“Look at that bull! He’s going to come over here and stab you with his horns!” The boy, about eight years old, was sharing his knowledge of horned cattle with his younger brother at the Deerfield Fair. It was early morning and I was acclimating one of my black, Scottish Highlander working steers to the fairgrounds. The boy didn’t know it, but my one thousand pound steer named Topper, with “horns out to here”, was more likely to turn and run from the llama (he’d never seen one before) walking by than attack anyone.
That’s the thing about horns, just the sight of a big set of horns seems to terrify everyone. All of my Scottish Highlander cattle have horns. I suppose I could, like some, de-horn them when the calves are young but the horns make the cattle distinctive. Yes both cows (the girls) and bulls (the boys) have horns.
Our barn neighbor at the Deerfield Fair was showing seventeen Pinzgauer cows and calves. I helped him water his cattle during the fair. Pinzgauer cattle are gentle natured and easy to handle. They don’t have horns. Yet I was more intimidated by his not-horned cattle then my horned Scottish Highlanders.
I don’t ignore the horns, I respect them. I have several pairs of working steers. A working steer pair are two neutered bulls that work in yoke to pull things like logs, stones, even kids on a sled. Working steers perform without “leashes” as my young friends point out. They respond to voice commands and body language sometimes reinforced with a tap from a stick called a goad. Good teams work in sync with their handler, or teamster. My black three year old team, Topper and Flash, have been working together since they were six months old when they had just nubs of horns. Today their horns, about three feet across, are impressive.
Clik here to view.
My Scottish Highlander Working Steer Pair, Topper and Flash
It’s not their horns that I have to control. It’s the steer’s mind that I must understand and manage. A friend once said, “Ah, so you over train them. You train them so well they do what you want.” That’s it, my show cattle are well trained. My steers are not going to “inadvertently” swing their heads to swat at fly. They know where their horns start and stop. They know exactly where I am standing and they know that if they swing their head this way or that, I’ll get hit.
Think of it. Do you know where your hand is if you swing your arm at me? If your fist is closed and you swing hard, you’ll probably hurt me. Same with animals. If an aggressive animal wants to hurt me he will. He is not going to hurt me by accident. It’s my job to recognize aggression before it gets serious. We “cull” aggressive cattle which means they’ll likely end up in the meat program. On the other hand, the gentler, well trained steer controls his head, limits his head swings and respects my space.
Clik here to view.
Scottish Highlander Cows have horns.
I do get the occasional push or jab but mostly when tying animals at fairs. The space allowed for most animals in fairground barns is tight. Ducking to avoid horns is sometimes required but not due to the behavior of the animal.
Topper made it by the llama and sheep barns at the Deerfield Fair. Part of training is accustoming cattle to new and scary (for them) environments. I’ll keep training my cattle to voice commands and I’m sure youngsters will continue to gawk at my cattle’s horns. But know that a well trained steer is a safe steer, horns or not.
So what to do with “culled” cattle? Here is a great recipe provided by Helen Brody of New Hampshire Farms Network (http://newhampshirefarms.net) for Scalloped Potatoes made with Miles Smith Farm Keilbasa.
This simple to prepare casserole can be made the day before. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before baking. Left overs heat up well and are great for breakfast or lunch. Serve with a vibrant green vegetable for the addition of color.
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
1 pound Miles Smith Farm Beef Kielbasa, sliced 1/4″ thick
2 medium (3/4 pound), sliced 1/4″ inch thick (about 3/4 pound)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons flour
ground pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheese, lightly packed (swiss or cheddar)
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 10-12 inch oven proof skillet, saute onions in oil for five minutes until soft. Brown Kielbasa with onions (10 minutes). Add potatoes, making sure the slices are separated. Add a bit of ground black pepper and stir mixture gently over heat. (10 minutes). Potatoes will cook further in the oven. While Kielbasa mixture is cooking, heat 1 cup milk in small sauce pan. Whisk flour into remaining 1/2 cup of milk, making sure there are no lumps.
Add flour-milk mixture to simmering milk and stir constantly until mixture coats a wooden spoon. Add a bit of more pepper to sauce, if desired. Pour over Kielbasa mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. If a bit browner top is desired, put under pre-heated broiler for a few moments.
Servings: 4
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