mini breeds

ditchmedic · #1 03/31/09, 12:30 PM

Hi, I am going to be raising a beef cow or 2 within the next year. I intend to get a couple bottle calves and go from there to a rotational grazing. There is tons of info on the grazing, especially on this forum. However the breed of the cattle is what I need help on. I don't want to go to the sale barn and just buy whatever is there. I am looking for a smaller breed, I looked into dexters but there is nowhere close i can get any bottle calves for less than $600. Any advice about where i could find a breed that would be good? This beef is for my family, not trying to make money. I am located in north central indiana.

Thank you

wstevenl · #2 03/31/09, 01:17 PM

If you want to widen your search a little you could look for Dexters, Mini Hereford, Lowline Angus, or even a cross that had any of these in it would probably be small enough. Be careful not to get tiny cattle that won't have any meat. Some of those mini Herefords get really small!
you could also ask around at www.minicattlecoral.com

wstevenl · #3 04/02/09, 01:28 PM

sorry, I got that wrong, it's www.miniaturecattlecorral.com

shortstuff · #4 04/30/09, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstevenl

Be careful not to get tiny cattle that won't have any meat. [/url]

I agree 100%. Small is one thing. Tiny is another. By the time you pay the processing, it would get expensive getting meat from tiny cattle. I personally like the Lowline & Lowline crosses, but each of those 3 breeds has it's place.

Cross Creek Farms is in Indiana they raise Lowlines up near Lafayette, IN. http://www.crosscreekcattle.com

Also, Mini Moo Farm is near Veedersburg, IN, also near Lafayette, IN . I think that they have Lowline, Dexter & Mini Hereford crosses... http://www.minimoofarm.org

Check with them & they may be able to help you.

bluemoonluck · #5 04/30/09, 11:21 AM

I've been going back and forth over whether to get goats or a dexter for milking... I'm moving onto less than an acre of land (0.76 acres, if you want to be specific!) but I have to buy hay for the bunnies anyway, so buying for other livestock won't be that big of a deal.

For those of you who have them, how well do the various mini cattle breeds do in small spaces, and how good are they at providing a small family with milk?

JKB07 · #6 04/30/09, 01:22 PM

Lowline Angus....

Justin

RoyalValley · #7 04/30/09, 01:31 PM

We have Mini-Jersey's and we love them. Availablity is not constant though. We will be selling the calves this year, but they obviously wouldn't be milking for close to 2 years. We are just starting to milk them, so I will let you know!

My family doesn't like goat milk at all, so the Mini-Jersey's were a perfect option.

Good Luck.

JKB07 · #8 04/30/09, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyalValley

We have Mini-Jersey's and we love them. Availablity is not constant though. We will be selling the calves this year, but they obviously wouldn't be milking for close to 2 years. We are just starting to milk them, so I will let you know!

My family doesn't like goat milk at all, so the Mini-Jersey's were a perfect option.

Good Luck.

If you dont mind me asking, what bloodlines do you have in your mini's?

Justin

RoyalValley · #9 04/30/09, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKB07

If you dont mind me asking, what bloodlines do you have in your mini's?

Justin

Jackson is the name of the main contributing bull (I'm not sure what the right term is). Each of our females are 50% Jackson.

bluemoonluck · #10 04/30/09, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyalValley

We have Mini-Jersey's and we love them. Availablity is not constant though. We will be selling the calves this year, but they obviously wouldn't be milking for close to 2 years. We are just starting to milk them, so I will let you know!

My family doesn't like goat milk at all, so the Mini-Jersey's were a perfect option.

Good Luck.

If you don't mind me asking (and you can PM me if that makes you more comfortable), how much are you asking for your hefer calves?