Mini Cows For Sale - 25 Miniature Cattle Breeders Near You (2024)

FAQs

How much is a miniature cow cost? ›

A good quality family milk cow may fetch a price in the $1,400 to $1,800 range. A small or miniature cow, on the other hand, can cost anywhere from $1,800 to $3,500.

Our Miniature cows can average between $1,500 to $6,500 depending on the size, markings, and color.

Just as miniature cows eat less than a full-size cow, you'll need just ½ – 1 acre of pasture for each cow and you will have less manure to haul away. Mini cows also drink far less water, an important thing to consider when choosing your milk source.

Lifespan. While the lifespan of miniature Dexter cows is average, at around 20 years, not many actually reach this age. As we mentioned before, in just two years they are ready for slaughter, so there is a larger turnover of this breed of cow.

The best part is that you don't need to own a farm anymore to have a cow! These mini cows can be right at your home because they are smaller and easy to maintain. You can get one of these mini cows for around $1,800 to $3,500, all dependent on what color, make, size, and all those factors.

They enjoy corn, of course, as well as oats, barley, wheat, sorghum, and soybeans. While a standard size dairy cow may devour your entire grain crop, a miniature will eat one-third as much. So, if you were to need six bushels of grain for a standard Holstein, you will only need two for your mini.

Miniature cattle, which often are between 500 and 700 pounds, provide enough meat to last a family of four six months. That's just about the freezer shelf life of beef, said Bryan. And the meat tastes the same, depending on how the cattle has been raised and fed.

Unlike most toddlers, calves can be potty-trained pretty quickly. That's what researchers learned when testing whether cows could learn to urinate in a designated spot.

How Much Does a Highland Cow Eat Per Day? Cows usually eat around 2% of their body weight daily. A full-grown miniature Highland cow weighs approximately 500 pounds. So – expect your mini Highland cow to eat roughly 10 pounds of hay daily.

Miniature cows generally produce 2 to 4 gallons of milk per day—a number that is much more easily managed by a family operation. The weight of a standard-sized Jersey cow can range from 800 to 1200 pounds, while standard Jersey bulls can weigh as much as 1800 pounds.

Do mini cows stay small? ›

Selectively smaller.

Miniature cows are identical to regular cattle in every way, they've just been selectively bred to be one-third to one-half the size of standard cattle. The largest are only 48 inches tall at the hip while the smallest are 36 inches or less.

The mini cow is 26 inches long and weighs only 57 pounds.

Vechur cow, an indigenous cattle variety of Kerala, a rare breed of Bos indicus, is the smallest cattle breed in the world. It yields the maximum milk in the world for a cow of this size.

While animal sciences senior Hadley McKnight said miniature cattle aren't a good option for people without adequate land, she said they make good pets for small-scale farms. “They still require a lot of care, like any other kind of cattle,” McKnight said.

Raising Miniature Cows

Miniature Cows are about half the size of a normal size cow. They are perfect for the smaller farm using fewer resources, yet they provide plenty of meat and milk and can turn a profit, not bad for such a small package.

Similar to their larger counterparts, you will want to make sure to milk your mini cow twice a day at a specific schedule. However, as they produce substantially less milk than an average cow, you could be able to get away with milking them once per day.

A petite Jersey, a Dexter, or a gentle miniature dairy cow can provide your family with better dairy products than money can buy, and unlike a plastic milk jug, Bossy makes a great pet, too. The soft, woolly undercoat curried from molting Galloway and Highland cattle is a fiber artist's joy.

First, the calves were confined to the toilet area, a latrine pen, and reinforced with a preferred treat when they urinated. This established the pen as an ideal place to urinate. The calves were then placed in an alley outside the pen, and once again reinforced for entering the pen and urinating there.

Each cow starts at $1500 and can go upwards of $4000 depending on exactly what you want in your miniature cow. What is this? You can get them to milk, to breed — heifers tend to be more than bulls, or simply as pets.

How many bales of hay does a cow need a day? ›

A 1200-pound cow, ready for processing, will require 36 pounds of forage per day based on the formula used here. Thirty-six pounds of hay is close to one small square bale of hay per day, taking into consideration some waste.

Grass: More than 50 percent of cow feed is actually grass (farmers call it hay and silage). While people often think dairy cows are fed a high-grain diet, in reality they eat the leaves and stems from corn, wheat and oats far more often than they are eating grain, like corn kernels.

Alternative feedstuffs used to decrease the dependency on alfalfa or grass hay include harvested corn stalks, millet hay, wheat straw, sorghum-sudan, cottonseed hulls, soybean hulls, wheat middlings, and corn gluten feed.

If you want to get a miniature cow for its meat, you will find yourself ready for the butchering in around 18 to 24 months, as about that time the mini cow will dress out at 50 to 60 percent live weight.

Miniature cattle, which often are between 500 and 700 pounds, provide enough meat to last a family of four six months. That's just about the freezer shelf life of beef, said Bryan. And the meat tastes the same, depending on how the cattle has been raised and fed.

Miniature cattle also have similar health requirements as full-sized cattle, meaning they require the appropriate vaccines, hoof trims, and fly control to keep them healthy. Potential owners should be prepared to provide routine veterinary care to their new pet, as they would any other animal.

Cows only really like being petted in particular areas, namely parts of their upper back and neck. Stroking their flanks, for example, did not elicit the same response.

Cows are herd animals, which means that being kept alone can lead to stress, loneliness, boredom, and anxiety. In fact, cows should almost always be kept with other cows. Keeping a lone cow in your pasture will almost certainly cause the cow to develop behavioral problems or emotional distress.

But he predicted they could train cows to poop in a certain place too. While dogs, cats and horses can be toilet trained, they already show the desire to go in special places, but cows don't, Matthews said.

How Often Do You Have to Milk a Mini Cow? Similar to their larger counterparts, you will want to make sure to milk your mini cow twice a day at a specific schedule. However, as they produce substantially less milk than an average cow, you could be able to get away with milking them once per day.

Do mini cows produce milk? ›

Miniature cows generally produce 2 to 4 gallons of milk per day—a number that is much more easily managed by a family operation. The weight of a standard-sized Jersey cow can range from 800 to 1200 pounds, while standard Jersey bulls can weigh as much as 1800 pounds.

Unlike most toddlers, calves can be potty-trained pretty quickly. That's what researchers learned when testing whether cows could learn to urinate in a designated spot.

The diet of a miniature cattle is the same as a full-sized bovine, just at a reduced volume, MacKay advises. This means they consume hay or fresh pasture and need access to fresh water at all times. Typically, miniature cattle consume 2% to 4% of their body weight in food per day.

Dexters are mini by nature. Dexter cattle were bred in Ireland and are smaller by nature due to the lack of resources in mountains where they originated. They were dubbed "The Poor Man's Cow" because they don't take much to raise, so they're ideal for homesteading. They grow to about 36-44 inches, so mini for a cow.

Miniature cattle, which often are between 500 and 700 pounds, provide enough meat to last a family of four six months. That's just about the freezer shelf life of beef, said Bryan.

Miniature Cows are about half the size of a normal size cow. They are perfect for the smaller farm using fewer resources, yet they provide plenty of meat and milk and can turn a profit, not bad for such a small package.

Do not ride a cow or calf that is too small for you as this can cause damage to cow's back. Remember cows can carry up to 50% of their body weight and calves can carry around 35-40%.

While a high producing cow will need to be milked twice daily, the average Mini or Midsize can usually go to Once a Day (OAD) Milking after the first month or two. Once the calf is old enough to start taking most of the milk at each milking you can transition to OAD Milking while Calf-Sharing.

Cows and goats can get along safely and seamlessly on your farm, out to pasture, and in your barn. Just make sure to provide enough space for all of your animals and keep an eye out for illnesses that can affect both animals.

They Remember Faces for Long Periods of Time

Cows have incredible memories and can easily remember an recognize individual faces. Lots of sanctuaries have reported cows running over to greet visitors that they have not seen in over six months or longer.

Can you train a cow to poop in one spot? ›

But he predicted they could train cows to poop in a certain place too. While dogs, cats and horses can be toilet trained, they already show the desire to go in special places, but cows don't, Matthews said.

A small-sized cow can be a great pet for children, as they have a pleasant temper, are cute and the kids are going to love them. Having a mini cow as your best furry friend can also bring a lot of joy for the entire family and teach your children how to become responsible adults and animal lovers.

“They still require a lot of care, like any other kind of cattle,” McKnight said. “Miniature cattle still need vaccines and hoof and coat treatments, but with space and feeding requirements being smaller, they're a bit easier to care for. Plus, they're really cute, which draws a lot of attention from people.”

Two or three miniatures would be ideal for the pasture that size. More cows means higher yields. Your miniatures would also be easier on your pasture land than standard sized cattle. Their petite hooves and reduced body weight are naturally easier on the land and less problematic on your fencing and equipment as well.

Slices of apples, potatoes, carrots, turnip—dandelion leaves, fireweed, melancholy thistle leaves, birch leaves, elder leaves, all clover types (especially in bloom), cabbage and cauliflower leaves, and all sorts of root vegetable tops, molasses. All these were highly valued by the cows I have known.