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  • From: Tvoivozhd <tvoivozd AT infionline.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Homestead] Miniature Dairy Cattle
  • Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 09:27:43 -0700

Our dairy farm milked Holsteins---with plenty of well-fenced pasture, a huge silo for corn ensilage and 150 tons of hay per annum, it maximized farm income in the 1930's.

However for a non-commercial farm, a miniature dairy cow makes a lot more sense---first of all you can eliminate the expense of installing and maintaining a secure fence---hard and espensive where fencelines run through a flood zone or where trees are constantly falling across fencelines during windstorms..

A miniature cow bypasses all these problems and expenses---simply tether the cow(s) to driven iron pipes---cap on top, with rotating iron ring below---use a steel snap to fasten the rope to the ring.

A fifty-foot rope will incompass all the forage the miniature cow will eat in a day (do provide a tub of water).
My favorite cow for temperament, quantity and quantity of milk, has always been a Jersey. NOT the Jersey bull, which is the most vicious animal you can raise---poisonous little SOB's always plotting how to and trying to kill you. NO Jersey bull calf should be allowed to grow horns---disbud them with an electric or propane torch disbudder as soon as you can after birth.

And castrated excessJersey bull calves make absolutely the best beef you can find. Steaks and roasts are not big, but of the highest quality.



American Miniature Jersey Cattle Registry
General Information

Miniature Jerseys are one of the rarest of the miniature breeds of cows - especially east of the Mississippi. They are the best tempered of the miniature cattle - even the bulls! Many years ago all of the Jersey breed were the same small size as what we term the Miniature Jerseys of today. In fact, all farm livestock were much smaller than those we see today. After World War II the "larger is better" movement caught on and replaced the small-sized cattle. Robert Mock, of the American Miniature Jersey Cattle Registry , says that sixty years ago in his youth, he would see these little cows tied out in vacant lots and near roadsides in every town. They would be tethered during the day and taken to a backyard shed in the evening for milking. They also had them on his family's farm. Over the years as milk and dairy products became available in stores, they were replaced. Refrigeration made it possible to handle larger sides of beef. People in villages and towns no longer needed to keep a cow to supply the family with milk. So slowly over the years the little Jerseys disappeared.

Now the circle is complete with more and more families moving to the suburbs and to small rural acreages. The need for a small cow is back. The large jerseys produce far more milk than the average family can use. The big ones also eat more, produce more waste, need more space for housing, require more space for storing of feed and hay, and can be hard on fences, hard to handle and just plain intimidating - especially the bulls! The time for a small, docile, easy to care for cow has come!
Please check back soon -- We're adding new breeders regularly.
Breed Registrar




The Old World Jerseys are descendants of the first Jersey imports from the Jersey Islands and are not miniature replicas of the larger production Jersey Cattle. The breed was developed on the Channel Islands off the British coast; imports were also received from Britain and the Guernsey Islands. The first registered Jerseys were imported into the United States in 1850.

Today, The American Miniature Jersey registry is recognized and maintains the standard for the breed. Depending on where you live, American Miniature Jerseys may be referred to as the Barnyard Jersey, Island Jersey, Rabbit-eyed Jersey, and Guinea Jersey; all of which are the same breed.

The ideal Miniature Jersey's general appearance should be small in size - being 38" to 42" in height at the hip. Milk is higher in butterfat and milk production at 2 to 4 gallons per day, depending on the quality of pasture, hay, and supplemented feed. Bulls weigh around 850 pounds and the cow's average weight is within a 600 to 650 pound range. Physical conformation follows the standard as seen in the larger animals, however, their reduced size is what draws more attention and desire by the small land owner, fancier, or the need for a docile family milk cow.

Calving usually occurs without complications, presenting newborn calves within 15 to 30 pounds, and 18 to 30 inches at the hip. Typical color is fawn, where some may be darker, while others occasionally may be lightly splashed with white.

American Miniature Jersey Cattle Registry
P.O. Box 942
Rochester, WA 98579
(360) 273-7789
Robert Mock has worked with miniature livestock for the past 15 years. In addition to his work with Miniature Jerseys, he named the Belfair Cattle and did the original promotional work to get them established. He rediscovered the last of the Babydoll Southdown sheep in the U.S. and founded a protective registry for them. That registry has a 10-year history of stability and growth. Robert saw the first Babydolls returned to England (where they were originally developed before becoming extinct) in January 1999. There were less than 300 sheep in the foundation registry, but in ten years their progeny number over 3000. It has grown from himself and one other breeder to over 170 breeders nationwide. He has also raised African Pygmy goats and emus, and is currently raising miniature cats and pocket beagles.

Breeders to Contact
Fonnie Thoman
21019 State Route 7 South
Crown City, OH 45623
(740) 256-1724

Fonnie has the largest herd of original Ralph Martin Jersey stock, descended from the "Old Man Snow" Jerseys. These were imported from the Jersey Islands and kept in their pure form by Ralph Martin. Fonnie Thoman

Susan A. Miller and Manley E. Oaks
Mill Oaks Farm
19 Grove Street
Johnson City, TN 37601
(423) 926-9613
samiller AT chartertn.net Manley Oaks

Lisa Barnett
Route 19, Box 1313
Burnsville, NC 28714
(828) 678-9030
Evalyn and Wayne Frye
Route 2, Box 185C
Vanceburg, KY 41179
(606) 798-2405

rayl AT ekns.net Lauren Crisp
20641 S. 158th Street
Gilbert, AZ 85296


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