What do Highlands need to eat and drink?
Highlands have a reputation for being easy keepers and not fussy about what they eat. They are excellent browsers and do well in borderline quality pastures. They also do an excellent job of cleaning up a brushy area and will eat leaves off brush and trees as high as they can reach. They will straddle a young tree, push it down, and eat the leaves. They will eat the blossoms off some thistles. However, they do need food. They may survive on pastures that are primarily weeds, but they will not do well. They may eat some very poor quality hay or even straw in the winter, but they will not do well. They grow slower than many popular breeds but generally eat less Here in Minnesota and Wisconsin we are occasionally asked if Highlands can live on snow as their water source in the winter. The answer is not very well and we strongly discourage the idea. Animals need a source of clean water, although they may well drink out of a dirty ditch or rut in the pasture rather than walk 100 feet to get
