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Barnyard Buddies:  Mini Jerseys  |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 03 2009 : 5:42:32 PM
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Just wondering if anyone raises mini cows - more specifically Mini Jerseys. My husband has agreed to let me get some cows but wants me to consider minature breeds. I just dont know anything about them. Anyone have any info you can share?
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2009 : 6:40:12 PM
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There was a show on PBS or RFD about them. But seems a great solution to the amount of milk they give and the smaller amount of food they need and area to graze. If I was able to have one It would be the best solution for me.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2009 : 09:06:28 AM
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Be prepared to pay LOTS of $$$$$ for mini's Julie!!! A mini Jersey cow in CA costs around $2500-$4000 EACH! Dexters and Highlands can be bought a little cheaper, but I've never seen breeding stock of either of those breeds for less than $1000. The up side is they have a HIGH income value. Sell a few calves, or young breeders, and you more than make up the cost of your original stock. I, personally, believe they are a good investment. Not to mention I LOVE THEM!!!
As for care, they require the same care as any other cow. They just require less room and EAT about half of what their mutant counter parts eat.
Believe it or not, they really AREN'T mini's! They are actually the ORIGINAL size Jersey. Over the years, livestock have been bred BIGGER. This includes sheep and pigs. The large farm animals we see today were not always so big. I have livestock breeding handbooks from the 60's and back, and the animals seem very tiny compared to the behomoths you see out on the range and in the barn lots today! But the "mini's" are VERY much in demand now and their numbers are on the rise as farms get smaller and more people "Go back to the land." You just might find a great deal out there becuase of that, and because a lot of people are having to sell the stock they have becuase they can no longer feed them.... Hmm... guess it's time to do some Lookin'! (LOL!!)
Keep us posted Julie. and when you get some, we'd LOVE to see pictures!!!!
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2009 : 7:46:39 PM
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| i have a mini named buttercup of course. so many buttercupsd out there. lol she is a great gal. without the girls here i would have given up on milking her. now i get 3/4 gallon in am. she has a 8 week calf. so i only milk in am. she is doing great. the size is awesome. less poop and areas to clean. her calf was so tiny. we named her cocoa.we were able to get our cow with a trade of skills. she was bred to a coriente bull so baby is not good for milking but a good breed cow someday. we are breeding her this time to a registered mini. love my mini. |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2009 : 7:51:25 PM
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There is a farm around here that will sell a steer for about 800 a bull for about 1500 and a heifer around 1200. I think that is really reasonable.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2009 : 10:45:14 AM
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Sounds VERY reasonable Julie! Guess people here in CA think their mini's poop GOLD and are worth more than in any other state. (LOL!!!)
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
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Barnyard Buddies: Mini Jerseys |
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Mini Jerseys
