What's the Deal with Crop Ear?

Crop Ear is genetic trait carried by some Highlands. It leads to a cartilage irregularity of the ear which can be hard to see at times given their naturally "fluffy" ears. There is more info below to help you decide whether or not this trait matters to you. Although we love our girls and our current herd sire, we appreciate the crop ear may not be for everyone and we aim to be upfront and honest about what we have to offer in our 2024 fold. If you're looking for a perfectly shaped ear, some of our calves may not be for you. But if you're looking for a healthy, friendly, happy Highland or High Park with great hair, all of our calves should fit the bill!

Crop Ear Facts

Is it Dangerous?

Absolutely not. Crop ear variation is not associated with any other genetic conditions. It only effects the appearance of the outer ear and does not in any way effect hearing. It is a cosmetic variation only that has variable expression. That means it can be anything from hard to notice to changing the shape of the ear itself. It is also inherited as autosomal dominant. So if you breed a (heterozygous) crop ear with a non crop ear, you have a 50% chance the offspring will express the variation.

Why did we use a herd sire with crop ear?

To be honest, we didn't know at the time he had crop ear! Lol His cartilage is minimally effected and we missed it when we chose him to breed our girls. Do we wish he didn't have crop ear? Maybe. But what we want out of a herd sire is excellent conformation, hair and disposition. That is what our current herd sire delivers, with an added bonus of traditionally tiny nonchondro calves!

Should I care?

That's a question with a lot of opinions in the Highland world! For some people, it's a deal breaker. For others, they don't care one bit. However, when it comes to Highlands as a pasture pet, a crop ear cow or calf may have lower pricing. If you're choosing to have Highlands for your own enjoyment, a Highland with crop ear may be a great fit!

The Bottom Line

Whether or not crop ear is something to care about is entirely up to you. The Canadian Highland Cattle Association decided to not officially take a stance on crop ear. "After much research and discussion - it was felt taking a position that suggested an animal with crop ear was less desirable, no matter its other physical traits and blood lines, could have a serious and lasting impact on the diversity of the Canadian Highland gene pool." We have decided to not throw out our herd sire's other spectacular traits because of a cosmetic ear difference. After all, it's hard to get on a "high horse" about crop ear when we have selectively bred for Chondrodysplasia in the past, a genetic trait which does have negative health consequences. But that is just our opinion! 😏