Meet the Cows

I have been visiting and photographing the Scottish Highland herd at Trapp Family Lodge for several years. Trapp’s offers daily Meet the Cows tours and I have seen groups of people in the pastures with the cows many times. I finally went on the tour last weekend, allowing me to go inside the fence for the first time.

Trapp’s started farming on the property in 1942 and added a herd of dairy cattle in 1943. In 1963, they purchased the herd of Scottish Highland cattle. They are a very rugged self-sufficient breed originating in the mountains of Scotland. The climate there is very similar to Vermont. Highland cattle are unusual in that they have a double coat of hair. They have a long, oily outer layer that protects a downy undercoat. The oily outer layer helps shed moisture and keeps the insulating undercoat dry (similar to the northern breeds of dogs). This makes them well-suited for Vermont’s coldest winter days.

The cows have large horns that curve up. Bulls have smaller horns that curve either forward or downward.

In the winter, the herd is fed hay and spent grain from Trapp’s Brewery. The spent grain from the brewery has the starches removed from it so it doesn’t have the negative health impacts of regular whole grain. From the end of April through November there are seven pastures that the herd rotates through. They will spend a few days in a pasture eating the green grass and clover and will then move on to the next pasture like ornamental landscapers. They have a very robust digestive system and are able to extract nutrition from anything green that they can reach.

Highland cattle love apples. In the fall they get to eat the apple pulp left over from making cider. They have a very keen sense of smell and are attracted to anyone who might have an apple in their backpack.

The herd has a clear hierarchy of dominance, which reduces aggression. Social standing depends on age and sex, with older cattle being dominant to calves and younger ones, and males dominant to females. It is common to see bulldozer competitions between members of the herd. They will push and chase each other until one yields. Several of the cattle were very active during the tour.

There are around 75 cattle in the herd. Typically there are between 10 and 20 calves born every year and about 15 older cattle are harvested. The calves weigh around 60 pounds when born, which is small compared to other breeds. The smaller size helps make the calving process simple and they typically don’t require outside assistance. Full grown cows will typically weigh around 1000 pounds.

The tour was super interesting and I regret not doing it sooner. It was nice to be close enough to not need the 600mm zoom lens. :)