# zebu vs mini jersey



## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

For a pet/lawn ornament animal only, wich do you all suggest? I would like a breed that will easily be AI, get along with other animals, and be very personable. Zebu appeals to be because they are very small, and in turn may eat less. The mini jersey may calve easier if AI to another breed such as dexter, and make more milk, but, the feed bill will probably be higher.
Can you milk a zebu? We only drink a gallon every two weeks, so not much, but it would be nice to be able to do. I am afraid a jersey may produce more then I can handle. I probably cant hand milk everyday. How doese each do in cold Ohio winters?


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

Yes you can milk a zebu! I do!
My girl is a bit on the taller side being 41 2/3 inches high. I get 1/2 gallon milking her once a day. The rest of the day she is nursing her calf. Soo I get milk, meat and petty lawn ornament in one. I like the fact that since she only gives a bit more then the calf drinks (that 1/2 gallon) I can leave the calf on her for a weekend and not have any udder issues. freeing me up to spend the night some where.
I will say this though it is harder to find Zebu seaman to AI with then the more common breeds. So we have a small bull too. I just hope he can reach her.


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

can you safely AI a zebu to other small breeds?


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

do you have any pics of your girl? especially one that shows size?


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## dosthouhavemilk (Oct 29, 2004)

Have you ruled out a Dexter from the beefier tendancies?
A MiniJersey is a costly lawn ornament and should give more milk than her calf can handle and sounds like more than you require. However, once you have abundant milk, you tend to make mik a more central part of your diet.
A Dexter would probably be easier to find semen on and more plentiful in Ohio.
Having said that...I have no experience with any of them...lol. We are Jersey breeders afterall...


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

The dexters are a bit bigger framed then I'd like. I just dont find them as "cute". The dun are ok, but most are more beef then dairy type, wich I dont care for unless its a mini highland  Belfairs are pretty cute but, right now whats available ( I only want a bottle baby) is a zebu, with the possibility of mini jersey being born soon too. Cold hardiness is another conscern.


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## madness (Dec 6, 2006)

Here in Texas everyone talks about how great zebus are because of their heat tolerance. I've also heard people say that they have to provide shelter for cold and windy days (cold meaning 40F around here!). So I'm not sure if they are going to be all that great where you are.

But I have no personal experience - just hearsay, so hopefully someone else can chime in!


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

The only experience I've had with them was when my daughter was hired to halter break a cow, calf and bull. I did not find them to have a pleasant personality at all. If you get one, I strongly suggest you get one well socialized because if not, they can be quite agressive and while they seem small they are certainly large enough to cause some serious damage.


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

I don't know about breeding them to other breeds.
My cow is gentle the bull is NOT! not overly aggressive just a bull and not a pet.
here are two pic of my cow.










this is common ol' stock fencing


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

here is the bull when he was 18 months


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## 65284 (Sep 17, 2003)

You are correct to be concerned about the hardiness of Zebu. There are also several other problems with some of them. 

I've never owned one but have a friend that tried them several years ago, it was a disaster to say the least. His fault, he didn't do his homework, didn't know what he was getting into. 

Among the problems; there's a limited gene pool, not at all cold hardy, fertility problems, they are usually shy breeders, with most of the activity taking place at night. 

He discovered their lack of cold tolerance when his bull literally had his cojones frozen off. Not doubt very cute and interesting but I don't think the Ohio climate during the winter would suit them. 

Since you seem mostly interested in a living lawn ornament, and no more milk than you use, you might consider a mini Jersey steer. Would be very cute, a lot cheaper, and if he didn't work out you could put him in the freezer.


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

thanks for the info

Not interested in an animal that cant be bred, so steer is out. The breeder with the zebu is in western KY, Im sure it gets cold there, but not as cold as here!


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## jolly rancher (Jan 26, 2008)

I have been reading your discussion about Zebu. Very helpful and thanks for all your advice. I am up here in NY state and was thinking of getting a mini-zebu. Now I guess I won't-unless I put up a heated barn! Which DH won't go for. Thanks for disaster prevention!


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## whatknott (Apr 27, 2008)

I live in PA - an hour north of Philly - while our winters aren't as bad as some parts of NY or Ohio - I've had a mini zebu for two years now and have not had any winter problems - although I had been warned too.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I dunno, we have them (along with Watusi, Brahma, Longhorn & most other warm climate cattle) up here in the frozen north but like any livestock, it does take extra effort. We find that if you move them from a warmer climate to a cooler in late summer/early fall but not in winter unless you have a barn. It isn't so much the cold that's hard on them as long as you allow time to adjust and hair up. Wind & cold is harder on stock than just cold. 

A65284, you mentioned frozen testicles, that is a very real problem for bulls in cold climates and one so simple to resolve - deep bedding!


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