miniature cattle

[schroader]

Who has some? Is there a down side besides cost to them? Do you have to set with them when there calfing? Thinking about getting some have a small farm. My little girls love them.

Thanks for the info.
schroader

[genebo]

There are a number of breeds of small cattle. Each breed has it's own benefits and downsides. You need to have in mind what you expect of them before buying.

Dairy breeds are led by the Jerseys. They give a lot of milk. Miniatures are pricey.

Beef breeds are led by the Lowline Angus. Miniature versions of the full size Angus. Very pricey.

Dual purpose breeds are led by the Dexter. A naturally small animal with no full size version.

I raise Dexters. They fit well with a small landowner who wants a modest amount of milk while raising a calf that will go well on the table. Dexter milk is very good and Dexter beef is great. Dexters are more affordable.

Genebo
Paradise Farm
http://paradisedexters.com

[genebo]

I forgot to say that Dexters are renowned for their calving ease. They usually calve unassisted. She'll walk away from the herd, lie down, and get up with a calf. While beef breeds can drop calves from 80-120 lbs., my Dexters range is 26-45 lbs. Most are around 35 lb.

You can find a lot of Dexters for sale at:

http://www.dextercattle4sale.net/

Genebo
Paradise Farm

[Sonshine]

How much land would you need for 2 or 3 Dexters?

[copperhead46]

If you have good grass, a Dexter can manage just fine on an acre. If you have a cow and calf you'd need a couple of acres for them.
P.J.

[JWK]

Can you just have one Dexter for a milk cow? Some people say you need at least three of any type of cow because they're a herd animal. I would like to have one and raise the calf for meat, but I don't want the animal to be miserable. Would a single cow be OK if they were with a few sheep in the pasture and in the barn?

So you think 2 acres of good pasture is enough for a cow and a calf. Then whatever hay you would need to get them through the winter?

[sengdroma]

Plenty of homesteaders have the one cow. No animal likes to be on their own so just run her with some companions.

We are getting two dexters in calf ready for next Spring. 2 acres is fine I would not go for less.

[newminifarmer]

I vote Dexter! I have a 13 yr old bred cow that I paid $1000 for and a 4 month old calf that I gave $400 for, both from the same farm. She has calved every year with no problem and should continue to do so. The dexter website says you can put 2/acre, but I would think it'd have to be a really nice acre.
You can get just one, they just take a few days to adjust. Mine was the herd matriarch, but the owners are moving toward lowlines, and she has very dairy conformation (which I wanted). When they brought her, she lowed for 3 full days and ignored my other animals and the calf, but has now taken over her new herd! (3 goats, 3 sheep). they're known to be easy calvers, haven''t had too much modification, and are sooooo cute. She romps around and plays with the others, and won't go inside in any weather-grazes through rain and sleet and snow, and even has the goats out there (they Hated rain before she came).Good luck! Karla

[genebo]

Karla,

That's a good trick, getting the goats to go out in the rain. My goats would stay in their little house until they starved if it kept raining that long. Even though the Dexters are grazing right in front of them, just like you say.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

[tailwagging]

I have mini-Zebu. I like their looks. my smallest bull is about 270 lbs (by tape) so not much meat there. My cow is about 540 lbs (by tape) gives only 1 to 2 quarts plus feeding her calf. Had to get a bigger bull to breed to her this year since my small bull seems to be too young. finding a bull not too big and not too small and old enough (3 years or older) for a price I could handle was a challenge.

[francismilker]

The pros of getting a mini is that IF you can find someone who needs a heifer, she's more valuable to them. The cons are: anything miniature is just a niche' market. While they eat less and require less space, they generally produce less milk\beef for your table. Another downside is that they are compared to standard beef\milk breeds when sold at regular auction. So, unless you have local interest in the mini market, you're not going to get as much out of your offspring as a full sized calf. Instead, they will be sold by the pound going through a normal sale ring and will weigh less. Therefore bringing less money.

[Wags]

One advantage to having two cows is that they will often provide clues to each other's heat cycles. Makes it much easier to know when to call the AI tech.

I have two Dexter heifers that will eventually be used as milk cows. We don't need what a Jersey produces and this way I can stagger the breedings so that we will (theoretically) have at least one cow in milk year round.

[Sue Usry]

We have both mini jersey and Dexter. I really like both. We got Dexters first, then added the jersey because we needed more milk, but I realize most people don't have 9 kids at home! For most people, I would think the Dexters would be very adequate if a good producer of milk. For meat the Dexters are great, but once again, not enough for us. All of ours have exceptionally good dispositions. None of them have required any calving attention so far. All are easy to milk, but we did sell one because of a tendency to kick. We sold to someone who did not intend to milk her!

[furholler]

You might also check out www.bluegrassminiaturecattle.com they're great people.

[sssapps]

Maybe I missed it (I am wrestling with my 7 month old son while I am trying to read this!) but, for the Dexter cattle about how much milk for how long will the average cow give? About how much beef will you get off an average one and at what age? What is an average price?

[Anderson farms]

We also had dexters for a while, we have since sold all of them and sent steer to freezer camp. Our steer was about 18 months old and we ended up with about 300 lbs of meat, which was enough meat for my hubby and I. We never milked them so I don't know anything about that. One of the cows we got was pregnant when we got her and the owner wasn't positive when she was going to have baby. We got up one morning and went out to do our daily chores and there was mama and her calf! She had no problems at all and the calf was healthy and full of energy. The calves are adorable, but can be little escape artists. We have barb wire, but the bottom wire is about 12 inches off ground and I think there is 10 to 12 inches between each wire and the little calf could go right between the wires! They are wonderful and i wish now we would have kept them. Good luck with whatever you decide to get!

[bricned]

This question seems to arise quiet often. When I was growing up we lived just
outside the city on app. 3/4 acre of land. My Dad had a jersey milk cow that
we would stake out on vacant lots. The calf was kept in a fairly small pen
out behind the house. He would have the cow artificially bred. This provided
our family with plenty of milk and meat. You don't always have to have large
amount of land to have a family cow. Be careful of the cow you get. Make sure
that she is gentle and halter broke. I have raised several types including
dexters. I would recommend a good jersey.

[Wags]

A dexter averages 1-3 gallons a day. There are a few that go as high as 5 at peak lactation. Butterfat runs 4-5% and up to a quart of cream per gallon.

It is true that you don't need a lot of space to keep a cow or two - but the less space the more feed you have to buy.