# Mini cow on 1 acre lawn?



## Jenn (Nov 9, 2004)

Am getting interested in a mini Jersey or Dexter but have only 3 acres, only about 1-2 fenced, and it's planned to be/was lawn (although I just had a lot of construction and in theory could try to plant something else after the annual rye dies down this spring). I do not need MUCH milk and would go for once a day or less milking and lower returns on lower inputs. So-

- know of any small milk cattle breeders near me in SE Alabama?

-Jersey or Dexter oh never mind I'll just reread all your threads on THAT debate.

-Would a midsize Jersey give me some of what I want for an affordable price?

- Could I maintain a healthy small animal on that little 'pasture'? And what sort can I turn a lawn into?

How much shade would she need (zone 8b!)? Would I have to move an umbrella around with her if I tried staking her around the lawn to get her to fully graze an area? Or could I stake her out early mornings/evenings and let her rest in the shade summer afternoons?

Thanks for any reality checks/suggestions....


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## Kimon (May 2, 2005)

We too are looking for a couple of small breed dual use cows, Dexters sound like the ticket. We are in SW Alabama, I have found a couple of folks in northern Alabama but would prefer to purchase as close to our area as possible.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

I keep my Dexters in a pasture and also keep a large lawn. There's a world of difference between the two.

You can play football on the lawn, but if you were to try it in the pasture, look out!

The lawn is smooth and solid green. The pasture is crossed with cow trails and is clumped around manure piles. There is remnants of hay strewn around.

The point I'm finally getting around to making is that you will be dissapointed if you're trying to maintain a lawn by having a cow graze it.

These are the sort of problems that people have been addressing for a long time, and led to the development of the small breeds. The Irish Dexter was selected for it's size over a long period of time. The original Jersey was, too. Today, the average jersey is larger. A small Jersey is sold for a lot higher price. Zebu cattle will have no problem with Alabama heat. They come from hot climates. They aren't usually milked and the quantity may be too low for you.

If you decide that it's what you want, anyway, then there are some ways to sort of do what you want. Temporary electric fencing, using "step-in" posts, are the usual way of controlling where you want the cow to graze. The cow will need shade and water. Try to divide up the lawn into patches that will allow the cow to graze a new area, but still have access to shade and water. Choose a lighter colored cow. Get a dun if you choose a Dexter. A lot of black Dexters are raised in Texas without heat related problems.

Go to the ADCA online pedigree at:

http://www.dextercattle.org/pedigreedb/index.html

Select Alabama from the state list and hit "Begin Search". You'll get a list of 81 Dexter cattle in your state. Click on the name of any cow and you'll see the owner information.

If you're ever traveling up I85 in Virginia, stop off the see how we keep our Dexters, goats, ducks, chickens and guineas. We're just about 15 miles off the Interstate.

Good Luck.

Genebo
Paradise Farm
Church Road, VA


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## Haggis (Mar 11, 2004)

Jenn said:


> -Would a midsize Jersey give me some of what I want for an affordable price?
> 
> - Could I maintain a healthy small animal on that little 'pasture'? And what sort can I turn a lawn into?
> 
> Thanks for any reality checks/suggestions....


The average Jersey today will weigh 9 CWT and the average Dexter will weigh 7.5 CWT, just 150 pounds difference in the average representative of their respective breeds, but Jersey are far more common, and in general far cheaper. The weight range of Jersey cow runs from 8 CWT to 12 CWT, so with an average of 9 CWT, there would have to be many many more 8 CWT Jerseys floating around than there are 12 CWT Jerseys. Dexters make the claim of ranging from 6 CWT to 9 CWT, so to average 7.5 CWT there would have to be just as many 9 CWT Dexters as there are 6 CWT Dexters. If size is important, buy a 5 or 6 year old cow, she will be full grown (no surprizes), and she will be at the height of her production ability. 

A Jersey will live well on an acre of good lawn/pasture, but you will have to buy hay in winter for any cow living on an acre. During draught times an acre will not feed any cow. You can divide you acre into 4 parts and let your cow graze one portion off while the others rest.


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

my oldest jersey and one of her angus crosses are as small as any dexter, they do qualify as mini jersey. I do belive unless holstien has been bred in them they run closser to mini standards

a jersey will give you a better milk return on your feed, as they do not turn feed into muscle or fat mass but directly to milk. but that also can cause problems like ketosis, ect. they can simply deprive thier bodies to the point of death to produce milk, so they have to be watched. but they are also capable of utilizing scrub like a goat will .


a jersey for her hieght will wiegh alot less than a dexter, which of course means less feed.


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

btw i keep the one or two im milking in a smaller 1-2 acre area, not loose, makes them less likely to hide out from me at milk time  

but we also have enough land to produce hay as well, you will need to factor in the cost of hay, but you could probably find a way to buy it out of the field after its baled, if you will haul it yourself, that will save you a bit


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