Quality Miniature Cattle are a significant investment. Included here is a page to
help guide YOU through a growing and varied miniature cattle market.
Pets "go
to - info links below"
1) Temperament - A good disposition is a must have for the pet market. It is natural
for calves to be afraid of people at a young age, but most gain trust as they mature
(usually as yearlings). It is a good idea to spend time around your calves while
feeding. They learn to trust you, begin to see you as non threatening, and their
meal ticket. Bottle raised calves are the exception to this rule, as they learn at
a very young age that people are their friends. However sometimes this can go too
far as they grow up and want to play with you, as if you were another cow. This can
become dangerous due to their weight & size, so you must maintain respect and stay
in charge. DO NOT use a "breed" as a sole indicator for temperament, all "breeds"
have cattle of varying temperament.
2) Size - The smaller the more unique, less intimidating, and greater value. "Remember
ALL cattle start out miniature" To estimate mature height, you must know their age
and current height, from here you can use a frame score chart to determine a relatively
close estimate of "mature height" (3 years of age).
3) Eye Appeal - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, just be aware someday you may
want to sell your "Pet" or offspring thereof. So its best to choose a somewhat commonly
accepted "beauty".
1) Conformation - "Muscle expression" - It takes somewhat of a trained eye to recognize
a "winner". I suggest going to some cattle shows to learn what a beef cattle judge
sees as "best". Learn to recognize feminine and masculine characteristics, and understand
and determine "body condition scoring". A fat bovine is beautiful, but how much concentrated
feed does it take to keep them "looking good"? Most beef producers like "easy keepers"
(cattle that maintain good body condition under normal pasture conditions). You will
be disappointed if you buy a beautiful, thick, round bovine, take them home, put
them out on good pasture, and a couple months later can't see your "champion" because
he or she lost most of their excess body condition.
2) Size - Unlike the Pet Market, beef production requires a faster growing heavier
finishing animal. Frame 0 - 2 (miniature to classic) will be a good target size here
for beef production. Cows that wean a calf 60% plus of their body weight will be
efficient beef producers. Good Beef cattle should also have a dress out weight of
60% or greater, and a high yield of premium cuts (ribeye).
3) Temperament - Do not overlook this important quality here either. Remember your
in this business to enjoy "cattle". It doesn't take very many ill tempered cattle
to ruin an otherwise pleasant day.
1) Temperament - You will be working very closely on a daily basis with your Milk
Cow(s). Therefore it is critical to have a comfortable working relationship, where
both of you enjoy milking time. If you purchase an untrained cow or heifer, just
remember your animal will need to learn two things from you "respect" & "trust".
Always stay in charge and reward their good behavior, and you will get along just
fine.
2) Milk Production - Under perfect conditions an excellent standard Dairy Cow can
produce 10 gallons of milk per day, and an excellent miniature Dairy Cow around half
of that. On average you should expect two to four gallons per day. Diet is critical
to higher milk production, high production requires an excellent high protein concentrated
feeding program (grain). A good system (if you do not require all this milk) is to
milk in the morning, then let the calf out with the cow during the day, and separate
them for the night. Also remember that each lactation period is normally 9 - 10 months
which gives the cow a rest before their next calf is born and they freshen. Average
gestation for cattle is 284 days, so you will be looking to breed the cow by 90 days
after calving.
3) Size - If you purchase a short Dairy cow, be aware it maybe necessary to build
a milking platform for your cow to stand on for milking. This will save a lot of
back ache if you are hand milking. As a short cow with a large udder puts the milking
handles very close to the ground.
1) Temperament - Good miniature bucking stock generally "are NOT gentle". Cattle
that keep their distance, and have superior endurance, usually make superior rodeo
stock.
2) Size - Most miniature rodeo stock buyers are looking for cattle in the zero to
two frame category (42" - 48").
3) Appearance - Exotic, unusual color patterns, horned bulls are most popular.
Once you've decided on a market segment/direction, the next thing to consider, whether
your intent is to become a breeder or not, is to maintain value in your new purchase
(investment). Like all live animal markets from Dog's to Horse's linage becomes important
to future buyers. Registered animals of prize winning pedigree become sought after
and command a higher market value. Here at MiniCattle Country the majority of our
miniature cattle are descendants from registered prize winning stock. Our crossbred
miniatures are registered with Cattle Trax Registry and transferable upon sale to
consecutive owners, and their progeny are also registerable. If you are developing
your own "new breed" and wish to begin a registration herd book for them, please
contact me regarding getting setup with a breed plan and a registry.
There are several miniature cattle markets!
Pets............... Beef.............. Dairy............... Rodeo Stock
All of these have different selection criteria. Many qualities will cross over from
one to the other, but it is best to select for your main objective as a base, and
build your choice from that starting point.
OK! Now I'm getting serious about purchasing. How can I avoid a regretful purchase?
We offer "A Fair Deal". You get genuine, sincere advice, and top quality registered
cattle from a large reputable company. Offspring from cattle purchased through MiniCattle
Country will retain high market value. We list our associates cattle for sale, for
free and only charge a flat 10% sales commission on "sold" animals (except our online
auction - $25 listing fee from our host, & our 7% sales commission). Our website
averages between 100 & 200 visits per day, so you get excellent exposure.
Value, Service & Recognition!
Why buy from MiniCattle Country
“If he’s got milk, I’m gonna kick him!”
Opening Page
$200
Additional Pages
$100 each
To expedite our communications, please include the type (Pet, Beef, or Dairy), number
of cattle you are interested in, and your location, with your inquires. Thanks, Greg
Miniature Cattle Wisdom ..... Before you Buy!
