#miniature cattle

[teddy-bear-naps-and-random-snaps]

[teddy-bear-naps-and-random-snaps]

[ravynfyre]

tiny cows have landed

at Mischief Meadows

these four, lovely, miniature ladies will be guesting at the homestead for the foreseeable future, until @watchoutforice​ gets herself on her feet and her new homestead sorted out and set up for her crew. so, until then, smol cows are smol, and I am enjoying them. and once I have gotten things settled and sorted out, posting will commence of the new and improved fencing that @dragonesseclectic​ was so epically incredible to assist with helping to get for Mischief Meadows! it’s all in and functional, DE! still waiting on my gates, unfortunately, but the fencing is working beautifully. just been a bit distracted with trying to keep WylE alive these past few weeks, and then with helping @watchoutforice​. the pictures are coming, I promise!

[visforvore]

Miniature cattle

[itsanimalabuse]

Dear Admin, I just stumbled upon a video showing breeds of miniature cattle, in this case miniature texas longhorn and zebu. I'd love to hear your opinion on miniature cattle! How does one breed miniatures like that anyway?

Unlike a lot of “miniature” farm animals, miniature cattle are not underfed full-size animals. Most miniature cattle are distinct breeds and are genetically divergent. I would, however, be skeptical of cows with an adult height below 46 inches, as these were likely underfed.

Miniature cattle are bred by selecting the smallest animals from existing breeds. In this case, it seems like the gene pool has been wide enough to maintain good genetic diversity and reduce genetic disease. Some originate from mixes with Dexter Cattle, a rare but recovering European breed that generally weighs 600-700 lbs. 

Though the miniature cattle raised for slaughter consume less water and feed per kilogram than their larger equivalents, the reduction of environmental impact is basically negligible and it still involves raising an animal to kill them far before their natural life expectancy. Cows are deeply sensitive, form strong bonds, and can signal fear to one another, so there is no ethical way to slaughter them. The waste produced by cows is still very high for miniature cattle (methane is one of the worst greenhouse gases)!

For restoring, recovering, and preserving rare and lost breeds in an ethical animal-focused context, they’re fantastic! Cows make good companions (kept in a large, fenced field with 24/7 access to a climate-controlled interior structure) and miniature cows are a good option for someone with lower acreage as their smaller size allows more cows in the same field, meaning they won’t be lonely.  

-naabeyaakig

[electronicsquid]

Rounding up miniature cattle on a zebra

(Wallace Kirkland. 1949)

[bookishbutcorruptible]

Baby goats are super cute, but can we talk about miniature cattle?

Look

At

These

Tiny

Fucking

Cows

[visforvore]

Any bloggers raise miniature cattle or lowline angus? Cause most of what I'm seeing on the tags is teenage girls who want one because they're cute.