Any info on "mini" milk cows would be great!

[willkatdawson]

I have never had a cow before. I live on 30 acres with my family 3 horses and 9 chickens. I have been reading as much a I can on the mini milk cow breeds but I'm still not getting the info I need. I read yesterday online that they produce "different" milk that is great for making soft cheese. Does that mean their milk is not just as good for other uses? I was hoping to have one for milking for our family to have all milk products including drinking raw milk.
Also I'm hearing more and more about nipple size and ease of milking. Are they easy to milk or do they need to be striped? What breed do you suggest? It will be a pet first of all because I have a 11 and 9 year old that are both very involved with the chickens and horses the cow will need to be a calm breed.
Any help you can offer would be great. I've been to the library and Amazon and thus far have not found one book on the subject. :/

 

[Imissmygirls]

You will need to find someone who actually raises this type of cattle.
Each breed has its own characteristics regarding normal teat size, ease of milking, etc.
Full size dairy cattle are bred to have short teats these days to minimize injury, however, Brown Swiss normally have longer teats than other breeds.
Jerseys normally have milk fat at least 1 % higher than Holsteins therefor milk tastes just slightly different- richer.
Within each breed there is a large variation on many traits but you CAN make some overall generalizations. I am certain the minis have their own unique set.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I don't have any YET, but my husband has been researching dutifully on the matter of mini cows, and he has come to the conclusion that we would like to have Dexters. They are, from what i understand, naturally small (by that i mean, they don't carry a dwarf gene like some mini-cows). They have a wonderful, gentle demeanor, and they are great for milking and meat.

I'm sure if you google dexter cows, you will get more info than i can think of right now. I hope that helps.

 

[willkatdawson]

Thanks!

 

[PunkinPeep]

any time

 

[Cheepsunglasses]

Ask away! We raise Miniature Jerseys. A picture of my favorite girl and her new bull calf are on our blog at: triskelionfarm.blogspot.com. These little cows are gentle and produce a creamy milk that is very high in butterfat. We use the raw milk to make cheese. Our girls are easy to milk, though we use a surge milker because it's a lot faster. Each cow will produce anywhere from 2-3 gallons per day. The dwarf or bulldog gene is carried in Dexters, not Jerseys that have not been crossed with Dexters. There is a test for it. Mini-Jerseys are just small in stature. They have roughly the same needs as any other dairy cattle, but eat less, need less space, and won't overwhelm you with milk. Ours are like big dogs. If you have any questions, just give us a shout. I am not always on this forum, but you can always ask questions on the blog.