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8:26 am
February 27, 2011
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OK, I have to admit after seeing these:
I just about fell apart because they are so stinkin' cute. Now I want to see what y'all think about 'em for practicality.
smiles,
Shari
9:35 am
May 14, 2011
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I think they are so cute, and I love the smaller amount of milk that comes with them. 
I want to say a couple of people on here have dexters but I could be mistaken. I think one would go perfectly on my tiny lot.
Some of the issuses people have brought up before are the purchase cost…very expensive. And the avalibility of breeding stock.
I've always wondered if you would have to build them a milking platform like for a goat. Does anyone know?
10:13 am
March 30, 2009
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We seriously considered going the route of Miniature Jersey's. We decided against because of cost and with our family we'd use all that we could milk from a full grown Jersey.
If we lived somewhere with less land, a miniature would still be cheaper then buying all that milk for $10 a gallon. At least this is what I had figured out over a year ago so my calculations could be off and will be different depending on where one lives and how much they pay for the cow/s.
11:13 am
October 31, 2010
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I've heard a few things…
-One is that milking can be tricky if they're too low to the ground. The advice is to check out the height of the specific cow before purchasing and be sure the teets are at a height you can handle and milk easily w/out strain to your back, etc. The advice is also that cows don't work on milk stands as their anatomy is not conducive (that is just what I've read- don't know from experience.)
-The other thing I've read is that Jerseys were a smaller breed to begin with but we have bred them to be larger and produce higher milk output. It was suggested that you find a cow that consistently puts out smaller offspring and breed for smaller characteristics w/ AI from bulls that consistently produce smaller offspring. This can be done w/any jersey at a more affordable start-up price!
That being said – they ARE really tempting!!!!! For me, since I haven't owned a cow before, I would probably start with the regular, less expensive one to be sure I want to stay with it before making such a large investment. I guess the other side of that is that you should be able sell your mini if you decide not to continue keeping a fam. cow…
In my area, a regular jersey is 1/10 the cost of a mini if that puts things in perspective 
11:18 am
October 31, 2010
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Here are a couple other sites to look at:
http://minijerseysbydexter.hom…..index.html
http://www.miniaturejerseyasso…..adCows.htm
1:02 pm
April 8, 2010
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One way to go is to grow your own mini.
We have registered full size Jerseys but sort of rescued two Grade (not registered) yearling Jerseys who are on the small side. Our plan is to sell them in the spring as family cows.
We got semen delivered overnight from the fella in IL at the first link in the comment above. We knew him from when we lived in IL some years ago. Our Vet bred the heifers, and they are now confirmed PG, due in May.Their calves will not be fullblood minis but should be smaller by about 4 inches shorter at the hip on this first cross. Future crosses should be smaller still.
Anyway, if you are interested in a mini you might want to do what we have done and grow your own.
3:37 pm
February 27, 2011
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Thanks guys! (I really like the web pages!)
I doubt I'll be getting a cow, large or small – although I love the idea of easier to handle. The price thing sounds outrageous though. We don't have the land to breed 'em ourselves and we have dwarf goats already.
Good luck with those heifers, Jersey Lady, it sounds exciting!
smiles,
Shari
9:31 pm
March 10, 2010
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While not miniatures, we have Dexter cows and love them. They are easier to handle than "regular" size cattle, not as hard on fences, eat less, and really are dual purpose, meat & dairy. They come in two distinct styles, long leg (also refered to as non-carrier) and short leg (also refered to as carrier) I would be hard pressed to milk our short leg cows, but the long leg cows are really not a problem. As far as the cost, I have never purchased a dairy cow so don't know how this compares, but at a recent Dexter sale I attended a cow/calf pair where the cow was bred back was $1200. These were all registered. Non registered, but perfectly fine Dexters heifers can generally be found for $300 – $500 on craigslist in my area.
9:50 pm
October 31, 2010
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That does sound more reasonable than I've seen!
On the non-dairy side, we recently ran into a local farm that is raising minis for beef (Dexter I think but not sure). We were able to purchase a quarter for $114 including butchering due to the smaller size. The farm is ALL GRASS FED and they tell me they are much more manageable for them on their smaller farm. For me as a consumer, I can now afford a local raised, grass fed half or side without breaking the bank. And….it was a good amount of meat for the freezer.
It has me thinking that I might like to raise one or 2 of my own for beef. We could do some for us and sell the rest.
11:32 pm
December 14, 2010
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Same price hind or fore quarter? what was the dressed weight?
5:42 am
October 31, 2010
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I got the hind. Price was the same for all and I think It was about $2.00/$2.05… can't find my record sheet. I just realized that the butchering price was an additional $24.49 on top of the $114 (I mis-stated that above.)
I got: 7 T-Bone, 3 sirloin steak, 1 swiss steak, 1 Rolled rump, 1 Sirloin Tip Roast and the rest in ground.
11:03 am
December 14, 2010
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Be sure to get the kidney and the suet. Beef kidney tastes alot like turkey liver. Suet makes the best fat for mincemeat, They should also give you the shanks and bones for soup and if you get a hind you should ask for half of the tail for soup. It is easily cut between the bone in the joints.
11:25 am
October 31, 2010
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I'll remember that next time! This was my first purchase like this so I'm still learning. I definitely want the bones and suet, but didn't think to ask for them.
11:34 am
December 14, 2010
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You purchase the quarter by weight and they cut it to your needs. There is quite a bit of trimming that gets thrown into the can for the rendering plant . If you make soap, as many here do, You could keep those trimmings and render them for the fat and save the bits of meat for soup.
The carcase is split down the spine and the halves are separated at the start of the rib cage. There is all of the belly fat left attached to each quarter.
5:45 pm
February 10, 2011
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wickedgoodshari said:
OK, I have to admit after seeing these:
I just about fell apart because they are so stinkin' cute. Now I want to see what y'all think about 'em for practicality.
smiles,
Shari
IMO, small means unhealthy. Small is made by re-breading the runts over and over again, and usually they're runts because of ill health in the first place. So you're breeding disease or weak genetics down the line. Just doesn't seem good in any way but cute factor. :)
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5:57 pm
December 14, 2010
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NOW wait a cottin pickin minute! ;)
small don't mean unhealthy. At 5'4" I am the shortest person in my family by about 6 inches. genetics plays a significant role here. My father's male ancestors were small including John Quincy Adams.
6:21 pm
February 10, 2009
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LOL if taken to extremes and bred back in their own line, then yeah, I agree with you Mary. If proper thought is put into it and you choose to breed to a bull that regularly throws small but healthy calves, then I'd say there's a good chance they'd be fine and you could get a cow down to a reasonably small size with good chance at being an excellent cow.
I'd be worried that they could be overbred to get to the truly miniature size is all. Nothing wrong with a small but well put together cow though, in fact, they're usually very good keepers, with better joints and healthier when they're smaller, all my own opinion of course.
As far as people? I'd say the same holds true! Why not?
8:25 pm
February 22, 2010
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Ross said:
NOW wait a cottin pickin minute! ;)
small don't mean unhealthy. At 5'4" I am the shortest person in my family by about 6 inches. genetics plays a significant role here. My father's male ancestors were small including John Quincy Adams.
I agree Ross! My Grandpa (mother's side)was 5' 4" and he was the most healthy person I knew. Lived to be 95 and had the sharpest mind around.
My Grandma (Dad's side) was less than 5 ft and she put in a garden the year she died that put her neighbors crops to shame.
However…I am 5'1" and some days it's all I can do to get out of bed and get my fuzzy mind to my job! Uh-oh…maybe "proper thought" wasn't put into my lineage
I must say …I am a very stinkin' cute grandma.
10:02 pm
February 27, 2011
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LOL! you guys are VERY cute! 
… and having just finished a production of "The Wizard of Oz" I can tell you that I have an appreciation for smaller people! "My" munchkins were the best! We didn't use just children, we went with regular people who were on the shorter side.
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