Mini-Cows Make Backyard Cattle Ranching Possible

As the idea of backyard chicken ranching spreads throughout the U.S., mini-cow ranching is becoming popular in the UK.

Dexters, or mini cows from the mountains of Ireland, are the perfect size for backyard ranching. The size of a large German shepherd dog, a Dexter provides milk, meat, and mowing services for a family looking to grow their own food. And, unlike ordinary cattle, they don’t require vast tracts of land. An acre or two will do.

“Mini cattlemen” are generally following the one-cow-per-house rule – keeping one cow that provides milk for the family and produces one calf a year before it’s used for meat. Believe it or not, these mini cows provide 70% of the meat of a full grown cow – and 16 pints of milk (that does not need to pasteurized) a day. If you don’t eat meat, you could always use one cow strictly for milk.

If you have a large lawn, you wouldn’t even have to feed your mini-moos. They’d just keep the grass short. From the article in the Times Online UK…

“People are realizing that if you’ve got a couple of acres, you can just stick them there,” said Sue Archer, secretary of the Dexter Breed Society. “They eat grass so they are very cost-effective and they have a lovely temperament.”

“With high food prices, they are actually quite an attractive option if you like producing your own food,” said Sue Farrant, a mini-cattleman. “Both my husband and I have full-time jobs so we’re keeping them on the side as an interest. They do largely look after themselves and they’ve been hugely popular with the children.”

The natural-born Dexter mini cow’s small proportions are also being artificially created in small versions of popular cattle breed. The Mini-Hereford and the Lowline Angus, for example, are genetically engineered to be smaller, take up less space, and consume less grain. Seems a little weird to me, but then again, I don’t know too much about livestock breeding or mini-cattle ranching.

What do you think about mini-cattle ranching? Good idea or a wee much?