# Miniature cattle



## ElkMeadowRoad (Jan 10, 2016)

I'm contemplating some miniature cattle. Our place is small and it's just my husband and me, so I don't need a ton of milk or beef. Anyone have any experience with them? Breed recommendations? I read somewhere that the beef breeds only need to be milked occasionally and will give less, which sounds good for our situation. I'm also wondering if I can put them in with my horses and my four-strand electric fence.


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## freedomspride2 (Jul 1, 2014)

I have dexter (small breed of cattle) with my horses in a 5 strand electric fence and they are fine together


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## ihuntgsps (Mar 10, 2008)

I keep 2-3 Dexter cows and usually 1 bull and a calf or two on 6 acres.

Never have tried milking them so no advice there.

We usually end up with a total of 380-410 lbs. of packaged meat per beef we take to the butcher. We try to butcher at 24-26 months. 

Hope this info helps.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Sometimes it works with horses, sometimes not. Depends on the individual animals. We had some issues with newborn calves and horses being too nosy and frisky, so we separated our horses from cows until all the calves were a month or two old.


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## M88A1 (May 21, 2012)

ElkMedowRoad.....more information would help. Location/elevation. size of acres for the cattle, are you overwintering, accessible water, winter shelter? One bad thing about 4 strand fence a small cow can step right through it. We currently have Dexter cattle 3 cows, 1 heifer, 2 bulls and 3 calves from last April on 7 acres and we have 7 acres we have hayed. Normally I only have 1 bull but I'm in transition between them.


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## minicows (Jul 28, 2014)

My husband and I have mini herefords we live in WI so we winter them. Very docile as for meat we just took a steer in he was 42" and weighed 760 so if it is just the two of you like it is us what you get back from the butcher is plenty.( and we also butchered in the winter otherwise they can get a lot heavier. as far as fencing I'm not sure on the electric we just have standard here but they don't try to reach over. (the fencing was part of why we switched to mini's ) currently we have 3 mini heifer's 1 mini bull and a mini beef cross 3 out of the 4 are calving very soon can't wait hope this help's if you have questions let me know.


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## Maria (Apr 24, 2003)

We have cross bred mini cattle and don't milk any of them. Ours are mostly Lowline/Pineywoods crosses with some having a bit of Longhorn or Dexter added to the mix.

You probably don't want cattle with horns in with your horses. I've only got a few with horns, but they do use the horns on the polled ones. Mostly just scrapes and scratches, but we had an actual puncture on a flank last year.  It left quite a scar. 

We usually butcher at about 18 months, and the hanging weight is around 300- 350 lbs.


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## aspirant (Mar 1, 2016)

EMR,
We've had mini-cows for a while now. We've milked some years and only raised calves other years. We have never had them in with horses, but have observed others who have. Like someone else in the thread has said: it varies with the individuals and the season of life of the individuals. By now you have probably observed your horses' reaction to other species and that should be some indicator. I would have at least a temporary plan b before you invest heavily. As to the milk production you may actually be better off purchasing a herd share of raw milk if possible from a close neighbor if you don't want too much milk. Otherwise the infrastructure would be cost prohibitive unless you are doing it mainly as a life style choice. If you only milk a cow infrequently, they tend to dry up and if the calf is keeping them in milk, then they will tend not to let you easily milk them. You may want to ease into the program by just raising beef at first and slowly adding in the milk option as you become more comfortable raising cattle. We have Dexter/Jersey/Mini-Jersey crosses and are just recently building in the retail dairy infrastructure though we have been many years in the cattle world. We are in northern Michigan so you should be able to find someone closer to supply your needs. As for the fences you may want to have your lower strands close together to keep young calves in. May them detachable in the winter snow so they don't short out or break off as the snow melts and drags them down. I wish you well


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## Unserscheu (Jan 26, 2016)

Hey all, I'm also interested in buying a milk cow and I'm thinking, for our small farm, a miniature cow would be best. My question is, would it be better to buy a bred cow or just try to find one the has weaned her calf? I'm in WV and would like to get your thoughts! Thanks


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Sometimes a small cow is the only choice, when acreage is small. Choosing a breed that gives less milk means more flexibility in the milking schedule and less likelihood of milk-related diseases (mastitis and milk fever).

Many Dexters are dual purpose, meaning they give a reasonable amount of milk while raising a good beef calf. Keeping the calf nursing helps make it easier to maintain a flexible milking schedule.

Dexter beef is excellent. It has won many contests for the quality of beef. Its only drawback is the size of the cuts, which isn't really a drawback for some people.

A big attraction of small cattle for small landholders is their ability to subsist on grass alone. Larger breeds increase the amount of feed you would have to buy to keep them healthy. That runs up the cost of milk and beef.

A good plan would be to make sure your farm is ready, in pasture, water and fencing. Find a good large animal vet first, then find a good bred cow to buy. Be sure to go visit the cow before buying, so you don't end up trying to milk a cow that doesn't like you and you don't like her. You will spend a lot of time in close contact with her.

When buying a bred cow instead of a cow/calf pair, you will be giving yourself time to train her to your milking routine before she freshens. However, you assume the risk of birth. If that's a worry you can buy a cow/calf pair, but you will be rushed into milking, so make sure she is a proven milk cow, with good milking manners.

Buying an open cow or heifer will require you to breed her. Probably too much trouble for a starter.


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## Unserscheu (Jan 26, 2016)

Thank you!! That was very helpful!!


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