Dreamed of being a cattle rancher but haven't the space?...

Luba · 01-08-2006, 01:26 PM

...this then is for you! 'Province article Jan.6, 2006'

Moooove on toward mini-cattle

Trappe, Md. If you're a suburban cowboy hankering to raise a herd but you're short on ranch land, mini-cattle may be for you.
New breeds of pint-sized heifers and bulls are making it easier for small farmers to raise cattle for milk, meat or just fun.
Bill Bryan has sold seven calves this year. "We've sold the vast majority of our calves to people who have these little three-to five-acre farmettes and they'll fence in an acre, buy a calf and more or less keep 'em for pets," Bryan says.
Bryan is among a group of pioneering breeders raising miniature cattle that can be as little as one-third of the size of larger breeds.
The reasons are many, they say. You don't need 20 hectares to raise these breeds, two will do. Mini-cattle eat about one-third as much as full-sized steer, are less destructive of pastureland and fencing and are easier to handle.

Merika · 01-09-2006, 08:30 AM

Dwarf cows??? How funny is that? I bet they are real cute....but what would they be good for other than a family pet? You can take a good full sized cow, have it butchered for meat and only end up with a couple of meduim sized boxes full of varoius cuts....depending on your order. You can't make very much money raising cows because it costs more to feed them than what you'll get when you sell them unless you do it to raise them fast with lots of chemical fillers.

However, since I've never seen one of these cows....they may be pretty vauable as an icon....since drawf horses really bring in a good price.

That's really interesting....I had no idea anyone bred little cows.