Mini Cattle!
- Thread starter Rebecka
- Start date
Blackbird
Goat Whisperer
Oh? Did I say they were? Sorry you didn't like my opinion?
Milk from Nubian dairy goats can taste very similar or even better than cow milk - at least, that is my experience from when a family friend bought a gallon of Nubian milk from us for her son with cow milk allergies. Her husband, who is a dairy cow farmer and has been all his life, drank it all. Our friend asked him why he drank all the goat milk that she got for their son - he had no idea it wasn't cow milk, he couldn't taste any difference.
Goats can also be very easily trained to not stand on fences, and are much smaller and easier to handle than any cow, mini or not.
Sorry, goats still win.
Milk from Nubian dairy goats can taste very similar or even better than cow milk - at least, that is my experience from when a family friend bought a gallon of Nubian milk from us for her son with cow milk allergies. Her husband, who is a dairy cow farmer and has been all his life, drank it all. Our friend asked him why he drank all the goat milk that she got for their son - he had no idea it wasn't cow milk, he couldn't taste any difference.
Goats can also be very easily trained to not stand on fences, and are much smaller and easier to handle than any cow, mini or not.
Sorry, goats still win.
miss_thenorth
Frugal Homesteader
I had goats, --not for very long though as dh didn't like them because our farm was not as goat proof as we thought it was.
But i have milked sheep, and their milk is similar to goats, as in the cream does not separate, etc.
i still want a mini cow. I want the versatility of cows milk, where the cream floats to the top, and with which I can make butter and ice cream and have cream separated from the milk for my dh's coffee and for whipping cream etc.
I have decded that I am getting a cow next spring.--most likely a dexter, as I have several leads on a milk cow. If it doesn't work out, I will have my two sheep, who I am not giving up, and will breed if he cow does not work out. But yeah,, BB, I know you are partial to goats, but they are not for everyone. cows can offer something that goats can not.
But i have milked sheep, and their milk is similar to goats, as in the cream does not separate, etc.
i still want a mini cow. I want the versatility of cows milk, where the cream floats to the top, and with which I can make butter and ice cream and have cream separated from the milk for my dh's coffee and for whipping cream etc.
I have decded that I am getting a cow next spring.--most likely a dexter, as I have several leads on a milk cow. If it doesn't work out, I will have my two sheep, who I am not giving up, and will breed if he cow does not work out. But yeah,, BB, I know you are partial to goats, but they are not for everyone. cows can offer something that goats can not.
Blackbird
Goat Whisperer
Oh I know MTN! Some people just plain out do not like goats, and that's OK. 
Just repaying snarkiness when it is handed to me.
Just repaying snarkiness when it is handed to me.ohiofarmgirl
Sipping Bacon Martinis
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cow!
cow!
cow!
oh wait.. was i the only one chanting??? yikes... sorry!
you know what would be great? if someone gave us a bulk discount on dexters.... then we all could have them!
i'm gonna go and have some peach cobbler with a glass of goat milk... then go and shake me some of Daisy's cream for butter. and dream of cows....(don't tell the goats!)
;-)
cow!
cow!
oh wait.. was i the only one chanting??? yikes... sorry!
you know what would be great? if someone gave us a bulk discount on dexters.... then we all could have them!
i'm gonna go and have some peach cobbler with a glass of goat milk... then go and shake me some of Daisy's cream for butter. and dream of cows....(don't tell the goats!)
;-)
country freedom
Lovin' The Homestead
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I've tried talking, showing CUTE pics of goats, reading why goats were good to have on the farm - DFiance' still says NO to goats.
BUT BUT BUT - He says YES to miniature cattle!
I do love my DFiance'!
I've got my sights on a few, just waiting to move - sometime in August, since our rent has gone down, with oldest daughter/young Grandgirl moving out.
BUT BUT BUT - He says YES to miniature cattle!
I do love my DFiance'!I've got my sights on a few, just waiting to move - sometime in August, since our rent has gone down, with oldest daughter/young Grandgirl moving out.
Wifezilla
Low-Carb Queen - RIP: 1963-2021
Since there was no snark intended, not sure where the attitude is coming from. I honestly don't like goat's milk, and was pretty sure cows don't climb (the big ones near where I grew up didn't) and are easier to contain than goats, but since I didn't own mini cattle I wasn't 100% sure.
So...whatever.
I mostly use cream. The fact that cow's milk also separates is a bonus for me.
Don't have the land for Dexter's though. It is something I will seriously consider when that changes.
So...whatever.
I mostly use cream. The fact that cow's milk also separates is a bonus for me.
Don't have the land for Dexter's though. It is something I will seriously consider when that changes.
- Thread starter
- #18
Rebecka
Lovin' The Homestead
Wow! I didnt mean to cause a fuss. I just have limited space and a need for true cow milk. We make cheese and butter and while goats and alpaca rock for what they are, they just cant compare for those things. My sweet husband cant tolerate goats milk. They dont produce enough fat for the cheese and butter my guys like. As it turns out my info was flawed, we can keep 2 mini dairy cows on an acre.
Farmfresh
City Biddy
I have been watching the mini cattle for several years now. I am for you!
I do wonder about the stocking rate that you were given and also wonder ... why would you keep a bull?
The mini cattle will take about half the space of a regular cow, but around here (and we have great pasture) a single cow/calf pair (which is considered one grazing unit) will require 2 to 3 acres IF you plan on the pasture supporting them completely and maintaining good grazing land.
A grazing unit is one cow/calf pair, one horse or large pony. A sheep/lambs is considered .20 of a grazing unit. This is a figure used to decide the stocking rate of a particular pasture. For example in my area 1 grazing unit/ 2 acres but in western Kansas where the pasture is scrubby and rainfall amounts are low 1 grazing unit/10 acres.
As for the bull. In a limited space setting, he will eat all year to contribute sperm to each cow once a year. What a waste of grazing when you can have your heifers and cows artificially inseminated (AI) with probably a BETTER bull. Doing this is how my cousin built up on of the highest quality Texas Longhorn herds in our state years ago.
Also there are minis and there are minis. Some breeds have high incidence of dwarfism, which is of course VERY bad if you want anything other than a butcher calf. Some breeds are new to the game, thus really untested. Others like the Lowline, which is actually 100% Angus blood, have truly been scientifically bred and developed. The Lowline was developed for the Australian outback. It produces great beef on little grazing in harsh (heat) conditions. Other breeds like the Dexter are OLD breeds. Some cattle like the Jersey and the Scottish Highlander are not considered mini cows, but check them out and they are actually BOTH quite small and hardy breeds.
Just do your research and I think someday we will BOTH have mini cattle!
I do wonder about the stocking rate that you were given and also wonder ... why would you keep a bull?
The mini cattle will take about half the space of a regular cow, but around here (and we have great pasture) a single cow/calf pair (which is considered one grazing unit) will require 2 to 3 acres IF you plan on the pasture supporting them completely and maintaining good grazing land.
A grazing unit is one cow/calf pair, one horse or large pony. A sheep/lambs is considered .20 of a grazing unit. This is a figure used to decide the stocking rate of a particular pasture. For example in my area 1 grazing unit/ 2 acres but in western Kansas where the pasture is scrubby and rainfall amounts are low 1 grazing unit/10 acres.
As for the bull. In a limited space setting, he will eat all year to contribute sperm to each cow once a year. What a waste of grazing when you can have your heifers and cows artificially inseminated (AI) with probably a BETTER bull. Doing this is how my cousin built up on of the highest quality Texas Longhorn herds in our state years ago.
Also there are minis and there are minis. Some breeds have high incidence of dwarfism, which is of course VERY bad if you want anything other than a butcher calf. Some breeds are new to the game, thus really untested. Others like the Lowline, which is actually 100% Angus blood, have truly been scientifically bred and developed. The Lowline was developed for the Australian outback. It produces great beef on little grazing in harsh (heat) conditions. Other breeds like the Dexter are OLD breeds. Some cattle like the Jersey and the Scottish Highlander are not considered mini cows, but check them out and they are actually BOTH quite small and hardy breeds.
Just do your research and I think someday we will BOTH have mini cattle!
PunkinPeep
Humble Ambitions
me too! I need more land though, so we're going to have to go with goats. I want them for meat and milk, and i've read GREAT things about the mini's. There are some that aren't bred to be dwarfs; they're just not bred to be huge, and they convert feed better.
