# Miniature Jersey or Lowline Angus



## 2kidsdad (Sep 27, 2009)

Kinda new to cows, havent had one since I was a child. Been doing a little research. We are looking for a milk cow for a family of four that will also produce beef. I like the miniature jersey for milk production. Its a small breed and I dont think alot of milk would go to waste. I like the lowline angus because its appears to be a effeciant beef producer.. I guess my question is which does both better :gaptooth: Is the jersey a better beef producer that the lowline is milk producer or the other way around?? Thanks in advance


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

It depends on the individual milk/beef abilities of the specific cow. I've had angus cows that produced a lot of milk with a lot of meat, and some that produced more beef than milk. On the flipside, some jerseys are not high enough producers to stand on a dairy and make any money. My vote is the jersey. But, I'm partial.


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

dexters


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

I don't think you would get enough milk from a Lowline to make it worth the effort. And from what I have seen, the mini Jerseys are very pricey. Maybe just a smaller framed Jersey for a family cow. Depends how much milk your family needs/wants. But if I was gonna be married to a cow for twice a day milking and milk processing, I would want a LOT of it.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

I guess one other way you could look at this is , you could buy a standard Jersey, feed several calves milk from her and a couple pigs. Then you could sell one extra calf and one extra pig to pay for her feed and look at all the fresh milk, beef and pork you will have. Thanks Marc


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I agree - mini jerseys are very pricey. Jerseys that are small in stature without out being actual minis aren't that hard to find. Nor are they that expensive. My girl only gives about 4 gallons a day. After making enough cheese and butter to feed an army for a year, we decided to feed a couple of calves on the extra milk. I only feed her 4 lbs of grain at each milking. One of the problems with the minis - is that you have to find a mini bull that you can breed them to - my regular AI guy can't/won't do that. It can be done, but takes some extra effort.

Jerseys don't put on beef like a beef breed. We butchered our first steer this year - 16 months old - 600 lbs of meat. We sold 1/4 to pay the butcher fees. The meat is wonderful! You could get a jersey and breed her to an angus.


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## 2kidsdad (Sep 27, 2009)

lasergrl said:


> dexters


please explain, Are they a better choice?


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## matt_man (Feb 11, 2006)

In my experience, albiet a bit limited, I would not get a Dexter if you are looking for a cow for milk for your family. It is true that they eat 1/2 as much but they give 1/4 of the milk. Most do not produce enough to feed their calf and for you to get milk for your table. They tend to dry themselves off as soon as you take the calf away and the ones I have been around have dispositions that leave much to be desired. I have owned both Dexters and Jerseys and I have a whole herd of jerseys and mini-jerseys now. I started with Dexters because of all the rave about them but I quickly changed my opinions after actually owning some.

Buy a small grade jersey and raise an orphaned beef calf on her every year for beef for your family. It will get fat and happy on all that rich milk. Then get a pig to cover any more excess and you'll have meat year round for your family.

We sell enough extra milk from our cows to pay for all their food and for the feed for the rest of our animals too...5 milking jerseys, 1 young heifer, 3 young bulls calves, and 3 bigger steers, breeding sows and 6 to 8 butcher hogs each year, 40 laying hens, and about 300 broilers every year.

The money we make from selling broilers, beef, and fat hogs is just "extra". And we don't have to buy meat in the store for our large family either.

Getting a jersey cow for our homestead was the best decision we could have made.


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## momofseven (Oct 10, 2008)

I vote for the small jersey and buying a beef calf too. Our girl is on the small side and she is perfect.


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## mamato3 (Nov 1, 2008)

Ive been researching mini cows for sometime hoping to one day own a few from what you want a dexter is more to what you need. Good beef cow and milk cow or so ive heard and read. Hear is a page i was looking at the other day to tell you more about them http://www.purebreddextercattle.org/


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

2kidsdad said:


> please explain, Are they a better choice?


I'll let a dexter breeder elaborate more. I have a dexter heifer. Her mother was very milky and could have given plenty of milk if they bothered, her udder was awsome. This heifer stays beefy on one flake of first cutting hay a day. Thats it! Her personality is between my lowline angus and a jersey. For personality you really cant beat a jersey. However my unregistered dexter was $270 and an unregistered jersey around here the same age around $600. I lost too many jerseys to pneumonia and wanted something hardier in this wet and cold weather. I also dont need 4 gallons of milk a day nor do I want to spend the time milking that long. depends how much milk you want. I wouldnt bother with a lowline. The Dexter will be in between the lowline and the jersey in most respects and the most cost effective of them all. The reason I think most dexters have worse personalities is because for whatever reason no one pulls and bottle feeds dexters like they do jerseys. A bottle baby dexter is very sweet.


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## matt_man (Feb 11, 2006)

2kidsdad said:


> please explain, Are they a better choice?





lasergrl said:


> I'll let a dexter breeder elaborate more. I have a dexter heifer. Her mother was very milky and could have given plenty of milk if they bothered, her udder was awsome. This heifer stays beefy on one flake of first cutting hay a day. Thats it! Her personality is between my lowline angus and a jersey. For personality you really cant beat a jersey. However my unregistered dexter was $270 and an unregistered jersey around here the same age around $600. I lost too many jerseys to pneumonia and wanted something hardier in this wet and cold weather. I also dont need 4 gallons of milk a day nor do I want to spend the time milking that long. depends how much milk you want. I wouldnt bother with a lowline. The Dexter will be in between the lowline and the jersey in most respects and the most cost effective of them all. The reason I think most dexters have worse personalities is because for whatever reason no one pulls and bottle feeds dexters like they do jerseys. A bottle baby dexter is very sweet.


The size of an udder doesn't really have any correlation to amount of milk production. You could have a cow with an enormous udder and only giving a couple of gallons of milk. I have one cow that seems to have a itty bitty udder but I get 4 gal/day from her. 

It doesn't really take all that much time to milk 4gal/day once you get used to milking. 15 min each milking tops. I have one cow that it takes just as much time to milk whether she's giving 4+ or 1 gallon/day.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

I have to re-say my original statement. My choice would be a standard sized jersey that is a low producer. I agree with others, the minis are too pricey!


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

> The reason I think most dexters have worse personalities is because for whatever reason no one pulls and bottle feeds dexters like they do jerseys. A bottle baby dexter is very sweet.


My Holstein/Angus heifer was raised by her mother and is every bit as tame and friendly as the rest of my cows! :shrug:


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

Well you could probably raise anything with jersey in it off a bison and it would still be puppy dog tame. Thats why they are so great.
Its just my speculation on the bottle baby business because around here unless you bottlefeed a highland, a dexter, or a lowline, its never going to be the same unless bottlefed no matter how much time you spend. Of course all cattle have different personalities, maybe I havent run into the sweet ones naturally. Unforunately in this very wet and cold area, the jerseys get pneumonia and die unless you have a barn. No thanks, plus for someone that drinks 2 gallons a week from the store, cant imagine having 4 gallons a DAY.


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