Post by dexteraddict on Oct 9, 2014 7:28:20 GMT 10
Extract from Sue Weaver's posting on Miniature Cattle:
Once upon a time in the early days of the 20th century, cows didn’t weigh 1,200 pounds nor did bulls tip the scale at over a ton.
Cattle were smaller, compact and kind. Bred for family utility, they put rich, creamy milk in the icebox and lean, tasty meat on the dinner table.
Simple fences contained them or families tethered them in yards on chains. They thrived on simple fare: cut-and-carry forage or other root crops from the garden. Children handled them and sometimes called them pets. Most families had such a cow and life was good.
Times changed. Mankind migrated to the city. People lost touch with the family cow, yet they yearned for milk, butter and steaks.
Remaining country dwellers’ small cows couldn’t supply enough goods to meet burgeoning demands. As the number of commercial cattle raisers increased, so did the size of the cows. “We’ll breed bigger cattle!” came the producers’ battle cry, and the compact, garden-variety cow almost ceased to exist.
Enter the new millennium. For city folk and suburbanites retracing their forebears’ paths back to the farm, today’s hobby farms are perfectly sized for yesterday’s cherished small cows.
And they’re out there: wee cattle as ancient as the dual-purpose Dexters and as innovative and new as the Happy Mountain Miniature Pandas.
A brand new legion of hobby farmers are rallying behind miniature cattle.
“Their small size makes them easier to manage and less destructive to fences and equipment,” explains Linda McKay of AAA Lowlines, Harker Heights, Texas. “The stocking rate is two or three minis to one full-size cow. They can be used for beef and/or milk—and they are just plain cute!”
A Few Small-Cow Benefits
• If you want to have a cow, you’ll need less pasture and far less space to house a mini version.
• If you must pen her and feed cut-and-carry forage, it’s doable.
• Her wee hooves and bantam weight equate with far less pasture damage and she’s designed to eat grass, not concentrates.
• She’ll neatly thrive on one third the feed of her full-size kin and use it to produce much less waste for you to cart away.
• Come autumn, you’ll haul less hay. And you’ll tote fewer buckets of water to quench her thirst during the deep, hard winter freeze.
However, minis are like potato chips, you won’t settle for just one. And for the small-scale farmer hoping to qualify land for ag-tax breaks or to turn a profit, this is a very good thing indeed.
And They Make Good Pets
And gentle they are. Mini cattle fans unanimously agree: These little bovines make marvellous pets.
Petting zoo proprietors and animal therapy workers adore miniature cattle; 4-Hers tend to love them too. Their modest stature, winsome looks and engaging personalities render them less intimidating than their full-size cousins, and they are far less bulky to load and pack around.
Once upon a time in the early days of the 20th century, cows didn’t weigh 1,200 pounds nor did bulls tip the scale at over a ton.
Cattle were smaller, compact and kind. Bred for family utility, they put rich, creamy milk in the icebox and lean, tasty meat on the dinner table.
Simple fences contained them or families tethered them in yards on chains. They thrived on simple fare: cut-and-carry forage or other root crops from the garden. Children handled them and sometimes called them pets. Most families had such a cow and life was good.
Times changed. Mankind migrated to the city. People lost touch with the family cow, yet they yearned for milk, butter and steaks.
Remaining country dwellers’ small cows couldn’t supply enough goods to meet burgeoning demands. As the number of commercial cattle raisers increased, so did the size of the cows. “We’ll breed bigger cattle!” came the producers’ battle cry, and the compact, garden-variety cow almost ceased to exist.
Enter the new millennium. For city folk and suburbanites retracing their forebears’ paths back to the farm, today’s hobby farms are perfectly sized for yesterday’s cherished small cows.
And they’re out there: wee cattle as ancient as the dual-purpose Dexters and as innovative and new as the Happy Mountain Miniature Pandas.
A brand new legion of hobby farmers are rallying behind miniature cattle.
“Their small size makes them easier to manage and less destructive to fences and equipment,” explains Linda McKay of AAA Lowlines, Harker Heights, Texas. “The stocking rate is two or three minis to one full-size cow. They can be used for beef and/or milk—and they are just plain cute!”
A Few Small-Cow Benefits
• If you want to have a cow, you’ll need less pasture and far less space to house a mini version.
• If you must pen her and feed cut-and-carry forage, it’s doable.
• Her wee hooves and bantam weight equate with far less pasture damage and she’s designed to eat grass, not concentrates.
• She’ll neatly thrive on one third the feed of her full-size kin and use it to produce much less waste for you to cart away.
• Come autumn, you’ll haul less hay. And you’ll tote fewer buckets of water to quench her thirst during the deep, hard winter freeze.
However, minis are like potato chips, you won’t settle for just one. And for the small-scale farmer hoping to qualify land for ag-tax breaks or to turn a profit, this is a very good thing indeed.
And They Make Good Pets
And gentle they are. Mini cattle fans unanimously agree: These little bovines make marvellous pets.
Petting zoo proprietors and animal therapy workers adore miniature cattle; 4-Hers tend to love them too. Their modest stature, winsome looks and engaging personalities render them less intimidating than their full-size cousins, and they are far less bulky to load and pack around.
