Feeding our Highlanders

Organic status requires that we should be as self sufficient in our production of winter feed as possible. Dry silage (haylage) and wrapped ensilaged oats are fed, depending on weather, from mid December until the early grass is available in the spring. Mineral licks are supplied as required and all cattle are out wintered either on the low pastures or on the hill.

On low pasture silage provides the bulk food which can be supplemented by strip grazing kale or a limited supply of cattle cobs.

Hill cattle can be fed cobs and where there is still rough hill grass, they can, by grazing, make up the required bulk without the requirement of feeding silage although silage is often feed in cold weather and as we near calving time. Bought in cobs are kept to a minimum as they are limited by the organic rules.

The oats and bere barley are an old variety from North Uist and do well on our high and less favored land. They are cut in late August when the seed is “cheesy” and bagged to be fed as whole food to the weaning calves. A hill field of oats is left standing to promote bird life, in particular black grouse, which the cattle will clear in the early part of the year.