A grouping of Highland cows – or “coos” – is called a “fold” and not a “herd?” That’s because in their home country, Scotland, farmers in the winter brought them together at night in open, stone shelters called folds, protecting our shaggy friends from wolves and the slicing cold of winter.
Highlands develop a social hierarchy, too. Watch closely at Erb’n Roots and you’ll see the social structure right here in the barnyard. Adult cattle are dominant to younger cattle, with Rosie the matriarch shunting the younger cows to their positions, especially at feeding time.
Did you know…
And while Highlands are gentle beings, they are still 1,000-pound beasts with horns that can be dangerous as they swing their heads to look around or scratch an itch.
Out of respect for them and for your safety, you must keep all your body - hands included! - on the opposite side of the fence. There are no exceptions. Violators to this rule will be asked to leave immediately.
Meet Our Coos
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![Erb'n Roots Rosie the Highland Cow]()
Rosie
The grandmother of our fold, Rosie is the gentle matriarch. While Highlands might bump each other out of the way with their horns to get their way, Rosie’s have been deformed since birth, we’re told. Instead, she swings her head and chuffs at the others to make her intentions clear.
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![Erb'n Roots Peaches the Highland Cow]()
Peaches
Look closely at the horns on each of our girls, and search for the coo with the widest horn span. That’s Peaches. She’s our always-curious girl, and she’s usually in the lead when we call them to dinner. Still can’t spot her among the fold? Look for Chai, with the midnight black hair. The two of them are buddies and often side-by-side.
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![Erb'n Roots Chai the Highland Cow]()
Chai
Chai’s the easiest of our girls to spot. She’s deep black, just like the tea after which she’s named. She’s also a bit skittish – tending to stand back and scan a crowd before sauntering in. We call her Chai the Shy. She’s BFF to Peaches.
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![Erb'n Roots Ruby the Highland Cow]()
Ruby
Ruby is aptly named, given she’s the reddest of the red cows out there. And while you’re admiring her shiny locks, consider this: Highland cows have a double coat of hair! The outside oily hair protects them from rain and ice and snow, while the downy undercoat keeps them toasty warm in the winter.
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![Erb'n Roots Emmy the Highland Cow]()
Emmy
She’s the blondest of our fold and one of the youngest, and she’s truly a model among #cowswithbangs. Her hair is always in her eyes. Now that we think of it, we’ve never seen her eyes!
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![Erb'n Roots Diamond the Highland Cow]()
Diamond
Diamond is our sweetest cow, and a bit of a loner. She’s lighter in color and she walks with a bit of a limp. Her horns slope upward more than the others. While she is part of the fold, she’s a bit spoiled, truth be told. She’ll stare at you til you bring her food. And we do. She’s too cute to be ignored.
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![Erb'n Roots Puff the Highland Cow]()
Puff
Description goes here Puff is usually the easiest to spot because she loves to cheese it for the camera. Her mom was named Cocoa and had beautiful chocolate hair, too. Get it? Cocoa … Puff. And Puff’s also the most vocal, often chuffing when she feels dinner isn’t being served quite fast enough!
Did you see one of the Highlands flick her tongue up her nose? Yep, she’s doing what you think she’s doing – ewww!
But it’s also important. Cows’ noses produce mucus that traps harmful bacteria that could make them sick. And since they can’t really use a tissue or handkerchief, they’ll curl their long, rough tongue up there for a good cleaning.
That’s pretty handy, we think. But we also think YOU should continue using a tissue.
No way to hold a hankie!Meet Our Goat Crew
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![Erb'n Roots Yeti & Yuki Goats]()
Yeti & Yuki
Yeti and Yuki are a silly brother and sister pair who love a nice, crispy animal cracker or a good snuggle.
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![Erb'n Roots Yeti the Goat]()
Yeti
Watch where you step while you browse our Big Barn Shop. Yeti and Yuki poke around inside from time to time. Yeti loves the mirror. He thinks he’s quite a handsome boy. (We agree.)
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![Erb'n Roots Yeti the goat]()
Yuki
Fat, juicy clover makes Yuki an absent-minded wanderer, prompting the occasional rescue mission.
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![Erb'n Roots Dot the goat]()
Dot
Dot’s ornery. She likes to boss around the littler goats, and she’s quite the little escape artist. But ever gentle with people, she loves a good scritch along her neck. (Photo by Jessica Monahan)
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![Erb'n Roots Aggie the Goat]()
Aggie
Our little Aggie loves a nice lap or warm arms around her. She’s named after a famous mystery writer. (Do you know who?)
As babies, the goats “took” to Alexa right away. Now, she’s our staff goat-whisperer and resident nap-giver.
Dot's about to get one of her favorite treats, an animal cracker. Photo by Jessica Monohan
Yeti and Yuki arrived in the Spring "snuggle ready".
Our sweet Annabelle thinks she’s a dog.
Cocoa was a source of entertainment for our first guests in 2023.
We continue to raise our parents’ legacy Angus herd.
Beyond the barnyard, the land teems with life - often overhead.
You might see another kind of cow as you explore our acres. That’s our legacy herd – an Angus herd that our parents began years ago. Can you see the blonde cow? That’s Annabelle, who was bottle fed after her mother died when Annabelle was just a day old. Now Annabelle is a trusty, old girl, just as her mama was. See that younger blonde? She’s Annabelle’s latest daughter. Born in the snow of this past February, we like to think of her as the winter princess of the herd.
Our Legacy Herd
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363 Killwell Run Rd.
Marietta, OH 45750