My first Fox attack that ended in a kill

[Mygirls20]

Steamroo they are Miniature Jersey Cows. I am actually hoping to have a calf around the momma all year round (maybe skipping a few months) that way I can just milk when we need it. Only taking a gallon here and there it wont take to much away from the needing calf but that way if I do skip a day here or there the calf will still be nursing. I am def going to have to find someone to take care of the animals when/if we every go on vacation lol. I just think it would be pretty cool to have a tiny herd of these cows I think they would really meet all the needs of a small family. Regular milk cows give out like 8-10 gallons a day thats way to much for us lol plus they eat a lot more then these cute little ones do.

Meat cows are usually super mean lol Seen plenty people get chased Once a year I use to (try) to help out my ex boyfriends family when it was time to castrate calves and give them shots to get ready for market. IT WAS INSANE but I loved it

 

[Melabella]

Mygirls20,

I too have fantasized about owning a miniature jersey... LOVE their eyes, so beautiful. Only thing I want to say about it is, they DO need a bit of property to fully be fair to them, and rotate pasture so they don't eat you out of every bit of grass. The milk is best if pasture fed most of the year other than of course the dead of winter, but just like ponies, even though smaller, they still will graze the heck out of even an acre paddock if proper pasture rotation is not implemented.

One day, hopefully! love the look of them!

MB

 

[Mygirls20]

melabella I only have 2 acres :/ I was thinking about splitting it up and rotating them but I dont know. I was thinking with just have a male, female and a calf 2 would be enough for them to just roam on. I already know I will have to buy a lot of hay and cow cakes but with all the money my family spends a month on dairy products I think it will be worth it... Again doing things yourself isnt sometimes the cheapest way to go just the healthiest. I hate going to the grocery store and not knowing where my food comes from and if it was treated properly.

 

[Melabella]

melabella I only have 2 acres :/ I was thinking about splitting it up and rotating them but I dont know. I was thinking with just have a male, female and a calf 2 would be enough for them to just roam on. I already know I will have to buy a lot of hay and cow cakes but with all the money my family spends a month on dairy products I think it will be worth it... Again doing things yourself isnt sometimes the cheapest way to go just the healthiest. I hate going to the grocery store and not knowing where my food comes from and if it was treated properly.

I hear you there girl! I too can't buy certain things any more at the grocery. Chicken for one, meat and eggs, and other meats for that matter. Since escaping from suburbia, I support local small farmers, and buy meat from them. I am lucky to have a wonderful beef angus farm at the end of my road. Wonderful people, and it's all organic. I thankfully fork over the $.

I have to play the pasture rotation game with my 4 horses. No easy feat. I live on 6 acres, and about 4 is dedicated to pasture management. Also keeping them clean to avoid parasite infestation is paramount. You should see the chickens in the manure pile,, they go nuts!

 

[Mygirls20]

Ya I know I dont have enough land to have a manure mound I dont want to ruin my water in the process lol My trash company picks up every kind of manure you can think of so I think I will be doing that. I was hoping to find a group of people out in my area maybe team up on everything (there are some cow farmers and stuff out here) I would love to get into trading I can do chickens, turkeys, pigs ect while other do cows maybe hay on their land and then trade goods but its a little harder to find stuff like that then some would think lol. There arent a lot of adds on craigs list for it haha. Thats why I think the mini cows would be a good idea but again I am worried about the space I have. When I was younger my horse was kept on 7 acres so she had a lot of space to move around even though these little cows are smaller 2 acres seems small :/ But I guess it cant hurt to try lol

Great pic by the way

 

[Steemroo]

Hm, 2 acres, 2 miniature cows.... You said it's rocky - mountainous - or is there a lot of grass? What kind? Native? Does it get dry, i.e. goes brown in summer? Or is the grass green from April to October in a non-drought year?

We ran at one point one Brangus cow-calf combination per 2 acres, during good rain years - heavy fertilizer - still got hay cuttings, but it taxed the grass. The family runs less than half that now (still getting low rain - also it's just easier - and this is where we get a lot of rain in non-drought years). Brangus are huge, and this was keeping aside acreage for hay - and maybe a quarter of the property is wooded. But again, this wasn't in Colorado. We normally have a fair amount of rain there.

An option is to buy a pregnant heifer and not have a little bull - it's really a waste, if you can get stud service for trade or a favor (or low cost). Or buy a heifer, raise her up, and get stud service. Not sure what they charge for art. insem. these days, but it's an option, too. It can be expensive if the vet is doing the "miniature breed - people with city jobs" thing and not treating you like a rural customer. Prices for this may only be low for large scale operations.

One miniature cow would be easy on your lot. (just remember coyotes can take down some mini cows)

Another mini cow that gives milk, though not like a Jersey, is a Dexter. Dexters can have killer genes, though, the short legged kind do. Jersey may be better, but people say Dexters can fend off coyotes.

That's a good idea, to leave the calf and just milk as you need - but she'll wean it after a point. Then, you'll have to keep milking to keep production flowing. With the bull, you'll have control issues. How often do you want her with calf? You'll need pens maybe, unless letting nature take her course is okay with you. It's a great idea though, and I wish you luck with it. It may sound daunting, but you've worked with cattle. You'll be fine.

If you got crazy money to burn, you can buy a totally automatic walk-in milking machine.

JK. But they are amazing. They say top dairy cows give up to 25 gallons a day.

Must be hormones.

 

[Melabella]

Yes, I am saving my pennies for a air circulated compost system. I want to make the 200 lbs of manure I shovel every day work for me. The turn around to usable compost is 60 days. There are very strict laws in my county/town for manure disposal. That is why if you notice, it is in a dumpster. I actually have to PAY someone to take it away, which really burns my goat. But.. one day soon, I hope the system will be in place. Then I can sell or as you say trade for services to the landscapers in the area for it, that is after I am finished refurbishing my paddocks with it. The soil is in dire need of soil regeneration. Previous owners didn't have a clue, and had far too many horses on the paddocks. Soil is packed down solid and in need.

I'm sure you will do the right thing, and it's all a learning process!

 

[Melabella]

One miniature cow would be easy on your lot. (just remember coyotes can take down some mini cows)

All sound points Steemroo, the one cow, and AI seems far more of a reasonable option. Your above sentance brings up another fantasy of mine... owning one of these to watch out for the coyotes!

 

[Mygirls20]

Ya I was thinking letting nature takes its course lol. We do have a lot of grass just the mountain kind its not so rocky that it would be a bad spot to have cattle. I will have to buy hay there is no way that I can feed them even in the spring/summer off of the land we have. I was thinking Jersey cause they are good for meat and milk. I know I will have to milk A LOT after the calf weans but I am hoping breed once a year. I was thinking of asking for a stud service but the only problem with that is that the mini's are rare and I doubt I could find someone close enough to make it worth while. Maybe I should just get a full size female and find someone with a bull to breed her with once a year?!?! I dont know I wasnt planing on doing any of this till next year probably I have a lot of thinking to do lol.

 

[Mygirls20]

Maybe I should just stick with goats. I have found a lot of different recipes for making several kinds of cheese and butter ect. I guess I can also make soap and lotion from goat milk. I just like the cow idea for the meat too. My husband and I were talking about buying some open land not to far from our house that would probably be a better idea if I wanted cows lol