mini cows?

[Mandalina]

A farm near me has a whole herd of mini's and they are so cute! Their bull is about chest high to me, and i am 5'2''.

 

[Stumpy]

I wouldn't mind having a mini cow if we had the land because I hate goat products, too. They're adorable

 

[conny63malies]

OMG those mini highlands are sooooo stinkin cute.

 

[CheepSunglasses]

We own and breed Miniature Jerseys. They are sweet, easy keepers, and produce a very rich milk with a lot of butterfat. I couldn't recommend them highly enough for homesteaders or people looking for family cows, or begnners who need a smaller, gentler animal. They are not cheap, though. They are in extremely high demand and most of the people I know who breed them have waiting lists of people who are looking for good heifers. We have pictures of our girls on our blog at: triskelionfarm.blogspot.com. You'll have to scroll through a lot of other stuff to find them, but there are pics of our calves on or around July 18, of last year. We were beginner cow owners at that time, so we have written a lot about what it has been like to be first-time cow owners, for anyone else who is from a non-dairy background and is considering this.

 

[AHappychick]

ok I am sold I must have a pair lol if anyone knows where, it is going to take me some time since I will have to work out the ligistics of it and make a nice shelter. Do you think 3/4 of an acre would be enough grass and land for 2 of them? they dont have any predators right? my yard has a 6 foot fence all around.

I have officially lost my mind

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

Quote:
Cows mature to approximately 800 lbs and are an average of 36-42 inches high at the shoulder. Bulls mature to approximately 1000 lbs and are an average of 38-44 inches high at the shoulder. They're great fun! Very friendly cattle, good for beginners and experienced cattle owners, and they take up a lot less room (not to mention eat less) and do less ground damage than larger breeds.

 

[NancyDz]

I saw these mini zebu on craigslist the other day... cute!

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/grd/1127862392.html

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
Cows mature to approximately 800 lbs and are an average of 36-42 inches high at the shoulder. Bulls mature to approximately 1000 lbs and are an average of 38-44 inches high at the shoulder. They're great fun! Very friendly cattle, good for beginners and experienced cattle owners, and they take up a lot less room (not to mention eat less) and do less ground damage than larger breeds.

wow that does not seem so small lol how much does a normal sized cow weigh? I guess I was thinking something along the lines of 300 lbs

I would really love to have some, but I would have to pick the smallest breed possible. This is not something I will just go out an do, If I do it it will be after many months of research and learning, this is just the begining. I think I read that the dexter is the smallest, is that true?

Oh and could they live in my fenced in back yard or will they poo too much? I would only have 2 and I have a good sized yard.

 

[CheepSunglasses]

I would think about what you'd like the cows to do. That will help determine the breed, gender, etc. Are you looking for pets, or are you interested in the dairy aspect? Cows make very good pets, but even the small guys are pretty strong and you should have some livestock experience to make sure they don't learn to boss you around. If you don't, I'd read up on them, or better, go visit someone who has them. If you are near central VA, you are welcome to come meet our girls. I would absolutely recommend against keeping bulls until you have a lot of experience. They are unpredictable and can be dangerous. Milking cows is a whole world unto itself, and of course, you need to breed them and produce calves in order to do that- another whole learning curve. Cows are fairly easy to care for, but they do come with their own set of care and medical issues. Finding someone who will come out to trim hooves for only one or two can be challenging. You will need a place to store hay and they should have shelter. Minis require at least one half an acre of pasture apiece, but you can get by with less if you are willing to feed hay, year-round. They are far easier on pastures than horses and are, overall, a little easier to keep than horses. I have a calf due in about 2 weeks. If it is a heifer, it's already got two people waiting in line. If it's a bull calf, I'll steer it for anyone who is looking for a pet.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

If your interested in learning about cows, come visit us at

As for size of cows, mini's are quite small compared to a full sized cow. The average holstein runs 1000-1200 pounds. Jerseys are on the smaller end of the dairy breeds at 800-1000 pounds. There is a wide variety of beef breeds and sizes there too. A few dual purpose breeds that are for both dairy and/or beef.

As for keeping a bull, no for newbies or if you only have a few cows. Use AI for them instead. The recommended numbers are 25+ cows per bull. If you are raising them for meat, steer them. They are less agressive and dangerous that way.

Another factor--DEHORN! Those horns are dangerous and can be deadly especially for a newbie but, even for an experience cattle person. It's not a pretty sight when someone is caught by the horns.