Miniature Cows Making Sense For Some

I've actually heard about using them for milk cows and the article that I am posting mentions meat. Makes sense though. They're smaller and don't take up as much room or eat as much. I'd love to have a milk cow ... of course not that I'd want to milk her twice daily but I'd still love to have a milk cow.

I've wanted a Dexter forever!

They, and another breed I can't name off the top of my head right now, that they are "from", aren't "bred" to be small, like human tinkering, but are a breed that originated in Great Britain somewhere, and are a small and hardy breed - like Shetland ponies from the Shetland Isles. They are small, strong, and multipurpose - had to be to survive the pretty nasty conditions they lived in - bad weather, poor food availability, crazy terrain.

They are considered a breed that is good fro dairy, meat and draught - work. They have good muscling for meat use, high butterfat for milk use (not has high as Jerseys I think) and are generally a good temperament, so can be trained to pull things, like one would think of oxen.

Looked it up and the other breed is Kerry.

If I could talk DH into letting me have a cow, there is no doubt that's what I'd get. I even know what breeder I would contact for one

About Dexters:
Dexter Cattle - South East Group // Info

More info here (US site)
Triple Purpose Dexters

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The funny thing, from what I've read, is they produce pretty much the small amount of milk as regular size cows do!

Yup, they are extremely "economical" - they are small but produce great meat - high yield and low fat - and they produce a lot of milk - at least enough to nurse a calf and be able to milk for human consumption. They won't produce as much milk as say a Holstein that's been bred for generations for high milk yield, but they are right up there with a lot of other breeds. There aren't a whole ton of dual purpose breeds. They either make a lot of milk (Holstiens, Jerseys, Guernseys), or the they are made for meat - Herefords, Angus etc. Very few are still used at least in America for draught work.

The temperament is a big thing - I'm not big on handling Angus because they can be just plain mean. Dairy breed bulls can be pretty bad too - I've heard some farmers refer to them as the total worst for aggression - hence so much AI in cattle.

But the little Dexters are so awesome!

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