A Scotsman walks onto a 35-acre ranch near Denver with a dog boarding business, no farming background, and a soft spot for the cattle he grew up watching through his parents' kitchen window back in Scotland. Four years later, Graeme Cowie of Cowie's Cows has Highland cattle, a Holstein Highland cross, 19 emus, fainting goats, Nigerian dwarfs, rare black chickens worth more than most people's cars, ducks, two Romanian Bukovina shepherd dogs, and a waiting list for ranch visits from people flying in from across the country.

This episode is pure joy - practical, funny, and packed with things you genuinely didn't know before you pressed play.

Key Takeaways

Emus make surprisingly effective livestock guardians - they'll chase off dogs, foxes and coyotes and their middle toe can do serious damage.

People with Alpha-Gal syndrome - a tick-borne meat allergy- can eat emu because it's a ratite, not a mammal.

Fencing is always the number one regret of new livestock owners - three strand is never enough.

Ayam Cemani chickens are one of the rarest breeds in the world with an estimated global population of just 3,500 and Graeme has 30.

Bull leases are a great income stream on a small operation if you have a bull with proven temperament and conformation.

Episode Highlights

Graeme explains what happens when you let emus free range near visitors wearing jewellery and why dangly earrings are a genuine biosecurity risk.

The story of Wallace the bull, who has never met a cow he doesn't like and has been on bull lease to happy customers across Colorado.

The Ayam Cemani chicken - all black including organs, bones, and meat, described as the Lamborghini of chickens.

Plus Graeme holding up an emu egg the size of a Nerf football live on camera while Lori completely loses her mind about it.

Timestamps

00:01 — Welcome & intro to Cowie's Cows
00:52 — How a dog boarding business led to a Highland fold
02:23 — Why Graeme chose Highlands — Scotland, his dad's paintings, a Celtic festival
03:39 — Getting started: Fiona, Wallace, and the first calves
05:19 — The Holstein Highland cross calf nobody expected
07:20 — Calving in the pasture with 12 head — what works on a small operation
08:44 — Feed costs, drought and hay going from $75 to $195 a bale
09:48 — Agritourism: how Cowie's Cows gets found nationwide
11:13 — Graduation certificates, themed visits and holiday events
13:35 — The emu deep dive: 19 emus, guardian instincts and that middle toe
15:31 — Vaccinating emus against eastern equine encephalitis — and surviving it
17:07 — Why jewellery is banned in the emu pen
18:20 — The Ayam Cemani: the Lamborghini of chickens with a worldwide population of 3,500
22:15 — Emu eggs, incubation and Colorado's humidity problem
24:08 — Fainting goats, Nigerian dwarfs, ducks and one black sheep
29:16 — Finding a vet for emus — why most won't come out
29:40 — Hoof trimming on a hydraulic squeeze chute — and Fiona's first reaction
35:26 — Fencing: the number one regret
37:04 — Electric fencing and Highland cattle — why it doesn't really work
38:14 — Calving season in Colorado: why end of September to November is the sweet spot
41:17 — ClariFly in protein tubs and fly control for the season
44:23 — Romanian Bukovina shepherd dogs and the live emu egg reveal

Book a ranch visit at www.cowiescows.com
Facebook: Cowie's Cows
Website: https://cowiescows.com/

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Website: hornsnhoovesauction.com

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

She recorded this episode from the front seat of her buggy because the wifi in her house wasn't cutting it and that tells you everything you need to know about Jessica Hoyt of Hoyt Miniature Cattle Company in Collbran, Colorado. This week Lori sits down with Jessica, a fifth-generation ranching family, commercial cattle operator, homeschool mum, and mini Highland breeder, to talk about what it actually looks like to do all of this at once and do it right.

From buyer checklists and deposit philosophy to birth weight obsession and why size is the last thing that should matter in your breeding decisions, this one is packed with the kind of practical, no-fluff advice that only comes from someone who's lived every bit of it.

Key Takeaways

Send a buyer checklist weeks before pickup - not after.

Have a small pen ready, feed continuity sorted, and a vet established before the calf arrives.

Birth weight matters far more than height when choosing a bull for your chondro females.

A halter-trained animal that doesn't get consistent work will regress — you build the foundation, the buyer continues it. Keep good records - app, spreadsheet, and paper backup.

Social media creates false size expectations: most cows take their biggest growth spurt between two and three years old.

Episode Highlights

Jessica shares the hardest lesson of her first year - giving a calving heifer too much time, losing a shorty bull calf, and what she'll never do again.

The conversation covers her payment philosophy - flexible deposits, case-by-case compassion, and why a good home matters more than rigid terms.

Lori and Jessica compare notes on feed costs, drought conditions, record-keeping apps, and why not every bull should be collected.

Plus Jessica recording the whole episode from the front seat of her buggy in the Colorado heat because her wifi gave out.

Timestamps

00:01 — Welcome & intro to Hoyt Miniature Cattle Company
03:05 — Colorado roots, fifth-generation ranching and how Highlands found her
04:22 — From 300 commercial pairs down to 100 — and why
06:39 — Working full time, homeschooling, and managing the herd
07:51 — Feed costs, drought and hay at $400 a ton
10:21 — The addiction is real - why buyers always come back for more
12:57 — Social media's false narrative and unrealistic size expectations
14:51 — What Jessica tells every buyer before pickup
16:18 — Stranger danger is real - how calves respond to new owners
18:06 — Socialisation: what breeders can do and what buyers must continue
25:44 — Horns and herd hierarchy - why even tame cows are dangerous in groups
27:11 — Sending weekly training videos to buyers before pickup
33:08 — The hardest lesson: losing a shorty bull calf in year one
36:07 — Building a local support circle - her two-mile-away neighbour pulled a calf with a baby on her back
37:48 — Size expectations vs reality: where the breed actually matures
40:45 — Birth weight over height - what people get wrong about bull selection
43:49 — Wait list, deposits and a flexible payment philosophy
47:28 — There's more than one right way - stop telling people they're wrong
49:58 — Scours, vaccinations and location-specific health challenges
52:42 — Record keeping: apps, Excel and always have a backup

Visit Hoyt Miniature Cattle Company at www.hoytminiaturecattlecompany.com
Instagram: @hoyt_miniature_cattle_company_

Follow us on social media so you don't miss out on any advice, auction updates, or crazy farm stories!

Find us on Facebook: Horns N Hooves Instagram: @hornsnhoovesauctionpodcast TikTok: @Hornsnhoovespodcast
Website: hornsnhoovesauction.com

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

Cattle scams are getting worse, more sophisticated, and harder to spot and they're hitting both buyers and sellers. This week Lori and Taylor are joined by Katy Cowell, multimedia specialist with the Better Business Bureau Midwest Plains, to break down exactly what's happening in the Highland and mini Highland world, how to protect yourself before you send a single dollar, and what to do if you've already been hit.

From fake Facebook groups with hundreds of thousands of members to wire transfer fraud and AI-generated calf photos that look completely real, this episode is essential listening for anyone buying or selling livestock online.

Key Takeaways

Always reverse image search photos of animals before sending any money - scammers steal photos from real farms and there are two victims every time.

Search any seller name plus "BBB scam" before purchasing.

A free BBB business profile gives your farm an extra layer of verified credibility with buyers.

If you've already sent money, call your bank immediately - wire transfers can sometimes be stopped.

A Highland calf selling for $500 is a scam. Full stop.

Episode Highlights

Taylor shares how scammers stole photos of her children and husband and posted them as their own family and how Facebook's response was basically nothing.

Katy walks through a real 2024 case from Broken Bow, Nebraska where a legitimate mini Highland farm was impersonated and multiple buyers lost money.

The team breaks down the tells: fake commenting networks, groups with "adoption" in the name, pressure to send money fast, and why AI can now make a hamster look like a Highland cow.

Plus how to report scams via the BBB Scam Tracker and get your own free business profile.

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome & why scams are the topic today
01:02 — How cattle scams work and who gets hurt
02:03 — BBB tips: stop, verify, reverse image search
03:16 — Facebook groups and how to tell the real ones from the scam ones
04:09 — BBB Scam Tracker: what it is and how to use it
05:17 — Taylor's story: her children's photos stolen and used by scammers
06:14 — How BBB vets complaints and protects legitimate farms
09:25 — What cattle scams look like in 2024 — the Broken Bow, Nebraska case
13:48 — How to pay safely: credit cards, wire transfers and what to avoid
16:34 — Payment red flags and what to do if you've already sent money
19:34 — The tells of a scam Facebook group
22:40 — Price is always a red flag — Highland calves don't sell for $500
25:09 — How to use the BBB Scam Tracker to research a seller
28:10 — Farm equipment auction scams: $250,000 in reported losses
33:00 — What new buyers get wrong about the mini Highland world
39:16 — Not every bull should stay a bull — the steering problem
47:19 — Where the Highland community reports scams today
48:13 — How to create a free BBB business profile for your farm

Report a scam or create your free farm profile at www.bbb.org/scamtracker

Follow us on social media so you don't miss out on any advice, auction updates, or crazy farm stories!

Find us on Facebook: Horns N Hooves Instagram: @hornsnhoovesauctionpodcast TikTok: @Hornsnhoovespodcast
Website: hornsnhoovesauction.com

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/