Miniature Milk Cows

[ladyhk13]

I have been thinking that instead of getting a full sized milk cow that maybe we should look into a miniature breed. Do any of you have them or are familiar with them? It seems to make sense since they don't need as much pasture and for 2 people we don't need as much milk that a full size would produce. Any thought? thanks

[mitunnelrat]

I don't have any, and I've never had any experience with them, but I was looking at this myself. You might be interested in looking up Irish Dexter's. They're supposed to be good for milk, meat, and even draught use if needed. A pretty good multipurpose animal right there.

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[bacpacker]

That's a good idea Lady. We used to raise beef cattle (Herefords and short horn Durhams). They didn't put out near as much milk as Holsteins or Jersey's would, but if they were milked twice a day like they should be, it would be way more than 2 folks could drink. You also have the water and feed needs to keep one or two going. IIRC basic numbers are something like 2 acres per head for feed production and pasture.

I have no experience with the miniature breeds and the Dexters are the only mini breed I'm at all familiar with. With the body weight difference's between full size and mini breeds, I would think an acre per head would provide pasture and feed production for the mini's.

This a very interesting line of thought.

[ladyhk13]

I read that the Jersey has the best milk (I am not concerned with meat) because of the high fat content - I imagine it would make wonderful butter as well. The mini's only reach about 42" high so for me being short it would work out well for milking and handling too! The only thing is, I found that Jersey's are going for about $1200. ea. Holy Cow! I would really like to milk only once a day...don't want to be a slave to it so I wonder how much milk I could get from only one milking. We plan on raising her totally grass fed.

[Sniper-T]

A cow can live and be productive for 15-20 years, if cared for; so at that is $60 - $80 per year. You cannot buy much milk or butter for that little. Sounds like a good plan to me

[mitunnelrat]

Kinda figured you'd say that, Lady, but didn't think it'd hurt to throw the option out there.



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[Taz Baby]

We are think a mini jersey cow. Not very big, gives enough milk,, good meat, easy to raise on little paster, an all around good cow.

[Evolver]

What about goats? They have good milk and it makes great cheese, they can eat anything, they're meat tastes good, they're smaller so when you do harvest one they don't take up as much freezer/pantry room, they're cheaper, you can keep them close to the house (rustler/prey), they breed well. I just thought I would throw this out there... :)
I have never owned a cow or goat or for that that matter... nor a chicken or rabbit! :o
But I have drank they're milk ate they're cheese and I have put them on the grill and had them in a pot.

[ladyhk13]

Evolver.....No goats...no way no how nut huh. I think they are adorable, but dh has a very big dislike for the animal. Funny, he likes the cheese and meat but not the animal...I like the animal but not the cheese or meat....boy are we screwed up!

MTR...Which part of "I knew you were going to say that" were you talking about????????

[ladyhk13]

I don't have any, and I've never had any experience with them, but I was looking at this myself. You might be interested in looking up Irish Dexter's. They're supposed to be good for milk, meat, and even draught use if needed. A pretty good multipurpose animal right there.

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Ok, read up a little on them and there are only between 500-600 alive in the whole U.S. Seems that there is a trait called the Bulldog Trait that kills at least one quarter of the calves. Said it can take years to find someone who is willing to sell one of their cows. Guess I'll forego this breed and continue on to others...thanks though so I guess we'll continue the list!

[Grumpy Old Man]

Dexter cattle aren't a true mini breed but rather a cross between Kerrys and probably Devons. They typically are less than 4' tall at the shoulder and weigh less than 1000 lbs. They were an all round cow from southern Ireland that small farmers would raise. On a 750 lb cow I would expect to get 350-375 lbs hanging weight. Milk I would expect about 2 gallons/day. BTW they have about 4% milk fat which is pretty close to a Jersey.

[mitunnelrat]

Lady, I was pretty sure you were gonna say you weren't interested/ worried about it providing meat because you asked specifically about dairy cows.

You and BWRR are pretty good about making informed choices when deciding exactly what you want, so I only threw the "multi-purpose" breed out there on the off chance it hadn't been considered.

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[ladyhk13]

MTR..gotcha! Problem has been that there is info out there (as seen even on this thread) about breeds but no one really knows anything about really buying them. I can't find any place who actually sells them, has them, has had them, knows someone who has had them...get the picture? There are people out there who I guess "collect" them for their own farms and I did find one place up in Penn that may sell them but would not give out a price on their website. Saw where one Jersey is valued at $1200. but none for sale in that article (think it was a Mother Earth News one). This looks like it's going to be a very difficult task.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Here you go Lady. Ask and ye shall receive.

Angus Cattle for Sale | Dairy Cattles | Miniature Cattle for Sale (http://www.dextercattle.org/Ads.htm)

ETA There is a Dexter breeder in Cleveland Tennessee.

[ladyhk13]

Thanks Grumpy!!! There is also one listed that is even closer to where our property is so I just sent them an email with some questions. I noticed that a lot of the listings were already outdated but at least the info for the companies were still up so I have contact emails and phone numbers to I can pick their brains so we can make an informed decision. I didn't realize how rare these animals were when I thought about getting one! Amazing! Some of them are just so darn cute though! They still creating new breeds and if anyone is interested in starting one you can do it, the info is out there how to go about it...all very controlled but totally cool.

[ladyhk13]

Update.....have already had several emails back and forth with the breeder that is close to me and he is very open to helping me learn and having us go over there and visit their farm. They have Dexters...says they chose them mainly because they are good meat/milk but most importantly they are very easy breeders and have no problems giving birth on their own. That is very important.
Thanks again Grumpy!

[Evolver]

It looks like you found a great contact. Craigslist is an option also, I was looking in the Farm/Garden section and saw that there is allot of live stock listed. here's just one.
chattanooga farm & garden - all classifieds "Dexters" - craigslist (http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/search/gra?query=Dexters&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=)