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[Tvoivozhd <tvoivozd AT infionline.net>]

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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