LA SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE DES ÉLEVEURS DE BOVINS HIGHLAND

Canadian Highland Cattle Society

Language/Langue

To Reach Us

Natasha Beliveau
7 Rue Stanley, Stanstead, QC, J0B 3E0
819-349-0604
highland@chcs.ca 

Membership List

Looking for a CHCS member/breeder in your area? Please browse our Membership list on the CLRC website. You can search by name or by province; just ensure all the required fields are filled in.

You can also search for specific animals on the same page, just scroll down the page.

Learn More…

WELCOME

Welcome to the official website of the Canadian Highland Society. You will be able to find information about the society itself, how to become a member, forms, publications and our bylaws. If you are looking for a member in your area, please look through our membership list. Cattle for sale & wanted are listed, as well as semen. Be sure to visit the Kyloe Shop for Highland items available for purchase. If you have any questions, we would be more than happy to assist.

Current CHCS members can find  various articles regarding health, feeding, care, marketing and registration procedures under the Members Only tab. The password can be found in the most recent edition of the Kyloe Cry/Newsletter or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your full name and registration number.

  • Site Last Updated: December 20, 2024.

 

BUYING & SELLING REGISTERED HIGHLAND CATTLE IN CANADA

Please note that there are specific rules that must be followed when registering and transferring Highland cattle in Canada. A full description of requirements can be found in our Bylaws (Sections 17 & 18) here: 
CHCS Bylaws

Only the owner or lessee of the dam at birth can register an animal - a buyer cannot, under any circumstances.

Similarly, only the registered owner of an animal can transfer registration papers to a buyer.  And must due so within 6 months of the sale at the seller’s expense. If a purebred animal is to be sold without papers, it must be done so in writing – otherwise it is a contravention of both the CHCS Bylaws and the Animal Pedigree Act.

Also, if you are selling livestock, please ensure you provide a proper bill of sale. We have prepared a sample for you:
Bill Of Sale

 

RECOMMENDED READING

Considering Highland cattle? If you are weighing the pros and cons of registered cattle, the following article by Pat White has valuable information to consider in making your decision.
The Value of Registered Cattle

The Kyloe Shop

Upcoming Events

2024 AGM

Expo Boeuf
Bridgen Fair
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair 


More information...

Tattoo

The tattoo letter for the year 2022 is K.
The tattoo letter for the year 2023 is L.
The tattoo letter for the year 2024 is M.

All Tattoo Letters

The Kyloe Cry

News

Archivist Request

CHCS Archivist, Barb Proudfoot, is looking for photos, stories and/or requests to research folds, breeders and Highland cattle for our next gathering together. She is hoping to “HARVEST” some of these stories from the past to share at with all of you.

You can reach Barb by email at proudfooti@aol.com or text her at 403-820-4442.

 

Photo Submissions

We are looking for photos from CHCS members for a range of projects. We need a variety of photos for our upcoming calendar, photos for the banner of this website, and general photos for The Kyloe Cry.

Send your submissions to Natasha at highland@chcs.ca



Advertising

The CHCS website has 40-55 different people visiting it each day. The most popular are the For Sale pages (Cattle, Semen & a Fold Near You). Consider publicity on our web site... It may be worth it!

We are working on the next The Kyloe Cry. If you want to put some publicity in it, please contact Natasha at highland@chcs.ca

Miniature Highlands

Written by Jaylyn Ettinger

There is no such thing as a miniature Highland, and certainly not a microminiature one. Adult Highland cows will average 1100-1400 lbs. Bulls generally range from 1700-2000 lbs. Not miniature.

Rising popularity of Highlands has brought out people trying to market smaller animals as “mini” Highlands, commanding high dollars for “pets”. Most often these are stunted, poor examples of the breed. There are many reasons for an animal to be on the small side. Maybe it is a case of placental insufficiency. Maybe the dam is older and her milk production/quality is declining. Maybe the calf was sick at some point. Maybe it has something congenital going on – bad heart, for example. Maybe the breeding combination just didn’t work - not every pairing clicks. Lots of different reasons.

Maybe the breeder deliberately withheld nutrition to stunt it. Some so-called “breeders” pull healthy calves off of healthy dams and feed the calves just enough to survive. Some misrepresent the age of the animal, claiming it is older than it actually is, so it seems small. I've heard of a few cases of people buying a very young calf as a miniature, with no instruction to feed milk replacer - and the calf is dead in a week.

Maybe the animal is not a purebred Highland, rather crossed with another breed - often Dexter. Crossbreeding is fine, as long as it is not being marketed as a purebred - and the sire & dam do not carry the chondrodysplasia (dwarf) gene. Many so-called miniature Highlands are the result of a Highland being crossed with a chondro Dexter. Breeding animals that carry the chondro gene increases the risk of bulldog calves (a lethal genetic defect).

For any reason, other than being crossbred, it is irresponsible to pass on those genetics. Not only do you risk passing on poor qualities, you risk endangering the cow and future calves. A "mini" Highland cow will still have regular Highland size genetics - and will have a normal sized calf, greatly increasing the risk of dystocia.

I think (I hope) the problem is, most of these “breeders” do not have cattle experience and are just jumping on a bandwagon. Inexperience is fine, ignorance is not. Highlands have so much to offer as a hardy beef breed, why on earth would you bastardize a grand old breed to produce substandard animals? If you want a Highland, even if just for a pet – please buy a well bred one from someone who has the breed’s best interest at heart.