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Jenniblu

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If you've ever wanted a pet cow but worried about the size/feeding/housing requirements--

http://www.uncoveror.com/minicows.htm

MINIATURE COWS: AMERICA'S LATEST PET CRAZE
By Ben Radstein, staff reporter
You may remember Vietnamese pot-belly pigs, which were allthe rage in the 1990s. For a time everyone just had to have one. Dogsand cats were going out of style. That craze may pale in comparison tothe latest one: miniature cows.

minicow.jpg
The pet ofthe decade was actually discovered in the nineteenth century in theGalapagos Islands, but they never became as famous as the gianttortoises. Recently, farmers looking for a replacement for mini pigshave been importing and breeding them. At first they were scarce, butthrough artificial insemination they are becoming plentiful. This willcome as good news for those wishing to adopt one.


"These are loving creatures," says Joseph Ramirez, arancher from El Cajon California who raises them. "They are docile andeven tempered, which makes for perfect pets. As a bonus, they even makedrinkable milk." He went on to say that their male counterparts,miniature bulls, can be trained to be better watchdogs than actualcanines. "Being charged, knocked over, and speared with the horns of a'Pequeño Toro' would be a humiliating experience to a would-be burglar.They might even flee upon sight of one."

After speaking to Ramirez, and other ranchers and farmers,I have concluded that miniature cows will likely be under more treesthis Christmas morning than puppies and kittens combined. If you wouldlike one, you might look to all the places that used to have pot-bellypigs, or try some of these links.

miniaturebull.com **Great Pics**
hatch farms
havanajournal.com
tanglewoodfarmminis.com



My personal favorite: The MiniatureZebu Cow

http://www.azootoyou.com/Cow.html


 
For awhile there, we were seriously looking into a couple of those as pets ;)
 
ayglnu13 wrote:
My friend wants one but she calls them "Mini Heifers"


Heifer would actually be the wrong term....cow or bovine would bebetter as heifer is like filly...not used to describe the wholespecies. Heifer means a young cow that has not yet had a calf.;)(i knowit was your friend though, lol)

*****************************************

I adore cows, here's a picture of my tame, ridable hereford cow, Queen(hence my AIM screen name QueenieBeanie86, lol)

Ellie




 
I gotta show this to my hubby, I have always toldhim my ultimate dream would be to have a "mini farm", pot bellied pigs,mini horses, mini cows, etc., every animal being a mini one (or atleast small). Now I am seeing animals that wouldactually make it a reality. It would probably never happenbut it is nice to see that it might be possible!
 
Bramble Briar86 wrote:
Heifer would actually be the wrong term....cow or bovine would bebetter as heifer is like filly...not used to describe the wholespecies. Heifer means a young cow that has not yet had a calf.;)(i knowit was your friend though, lol)



Ya I know, she is actually like 45 and just deals with goats, not cows,so I guess she wouldn'y know what it was called, she prolly just likethe word "Heifer" :D. I personally dont know anything about cows...Iwouldnt even know what a Heifer is, I just do rabbits :p

~Amy
 
I Want One!

OMG They are adorable. Yes, I even told Dale I want one. Hesaid as soon as we have our own land I can get 2-3 mini cows. Sohopefully in a year or two I can have Moo Moo's Yeah.

I am starting to research and plan lol. I may talk Dale into a farm yet;).

Tina
 
Hey Tina :)

A few years ago when we were looking into this, I spent a few hourstalking to a miniature cattle rancher in Texas, I think it was...I'mdrawing a total blank on the name but I'll try to find it for you. Hewas super helpful, we talked about housing, health issues,feeding, types of fencing, castrating/dehorning (these can both beserious issues with males, you may want to stick with the girls ;)),all kinds of stuff.

He was very helpful. Even sent me newsletters and e-mails from someminiature cattle association, but I'll be darned if I can't find themnow :?. Anyway, I'll try to get you that info, he's definately the guyyou want to talk to.
 
VNess2010 wrote:
What is the acreage requirements for owning one a mini cow and/or a mini pig?

-Vanessa

Well, miniature cattle (like most lifestock) feel much more comfortableand relaxed if they have at least one other companion. The mini-cattlerancher I mention said that it would be really cruel to keep one onit's own.

But as to the space requirements, he said that our one acre would besufficient for two cows, but you need to seperate the land intofenced-off areas, so that you can rotate their grazing. They cannotjust have one large field, or they'll deplete the grass too quickly.

Miniature pigs need a lot less space (and they can live indoors ;)).They don't really graze, either, so you don't need to worry about yourlawn. Many people who own them live in small houses with small,fenced-in backyards. The pigs are fine :cool: Of course, they also taketheir pig for daily walks on a leash :p
 
Thanks all. Aren't they just the cutestthough. I read that you can kep one miniture cow to a 1/4 acre ofland.:shock::shock:

I grew up in Chicago so the only cows I saw were in books or ontv. Since moving here, I just love cows. I finally got to pet one inJuly fot the first time, I was so surprised how soft they are.

Dale is a born and raised country boy. He and his family kept asmall herd of cattle and a flock of sheep. He misses it and we bothagreed that once we get some land we'd get a cow or two.

He even asked me to email him pictures lol. He's calling later an I'll see what he says.

Tina
 
1/4 acre? :? Seems too small, not to mention lonely.

I'm a little upset that I can neither remember, nor find, the name ofthat rancher who was sooo informative and helpful. I'll keep trying...

The International Miniature Cattle Breeds Registry is singularlythe most informative site out there:http://www.minicattle.com/. Now, they're aimed more towardsranchers, but they do recognize and encourage the fact that mini-cattlecan be pets.

However, cattle can be a whole lot of work. I'm a little perturbed thatthey're being billed as the next big pet craze, when many people do notrealize the labor that goes into keeping these animals happy andhealthy. And if you have a bull, you're raising an animal that willgrow to be aggressive to almost everyone, yourself included.

Whereas a rancher can afford to lose a cow or two, most pet owners willnot be so willing, and so maintenance can be more work than manymini-cattle owners will expect. I mean, did you know that you have tomake sure your soil has the right amount of certain minerals, or elsesupplement them (without overdoing it)? Or that you have to rotatefields? Or that they need certain vaccines and medicines and such?

(not you specifically, speaking generally ;))

Anyway, definately check out that site, it has tons of articles that will get you on the right track :cool:
 
hummer wrote:
Igotta show this to my hubby, I have always told him my ultimate dreamwould be to have a "mini farm", pot bellied pigs, mini horses, minicows, etc., every animal being a mini one (or at leastsmall). Now I am seeing animals that would actuallymake it a reality. It would probably never happen but it isnice to see that it might be possible!


Lol I have told my boyfriend that very same thing for years. We haveminiature goats (pygmys). We have had miniature chickens ( I cantremember what they were called). And we have 4 miniature pinscher dogs,plus all of the other animals around here. Ive always wanted aminiature horse so maybe someday I can have a miniature farm of my own.:D
 
Jenni, I am so glad you posted this. I extra glad you told me about it. Dale called...

W:shock:W He loves them. He even picked the two colors hewants. Can you believe it lol. In about two years I will hopefully havea mini farm with huge bunnies and chickens lol.

Tina
 

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