Why Raise Miniature Livestock?
ASK A HOST OF ESTABLISHED HOBBY FARMERS and most will agree that there is little (if any) money to be made in commercial, full-size livestock. Feeder cattle, market hogs, and standard lamb-and-wool operations are faltering. With the cost of keeping farm animals hurtling skyward, steadily increasing numbers of owners and producers are turning to raising smaller breeds of livestock, and wisely so. Miniature livestock require less housing space, pasture, fencing, and feed than do their full-size counterparts. According to American Miniature Horse Association figures, you can feed, house, and maintain five miniatures for the cost of keeping a single standard-size horse. Beef cattlemen can stock two or three miniature Herefords or Lowline Angus to one garden-variety cow (Hereford, Angus, Holstein). And a pair of miniature sheep or goats or even a pig can lodge happily in a doghouse in a fenced backyard.
Minis are easier to handle and less intimidating than commonplace livestock, especially for beginners, children, old folks, and the physically challenged, not only due to their smaller stature but also because many miniatures are specifically bred for calm disposition and tractability. Chores such as hoof trimming, shearing or clipping, giving shots, and administering dewormers are infinitely easier, as is training peewee livestock for show or pleasure.
In most states, keeping miniature livestock (especially cattle and heritage pigs, often goats and sheep, but rarely equines) qualifies landowners for valuable agricultural-use land tax exemptions, even on relatively small parcels of land. And minis are sometimes acceptable where zoning laws prohibit full-size barnyard pets.
Enthusiasts exhibit pint-size livestock and poultry at species-specific shows, state and county fairs, and as 4-H projects. Most species are locally transportable in a van or SUV. Scaled-down equines, cattle, goats, and llamas handily pull carts and wagons, even with adults at the reins. Country kids dress their mini friends in costume for the kiddies’ day parade.
Minis’ irresistible “cute appeal” and their easygoing natures make them unrivaled tagalongs for nursing home, school, and hospital visitations. What better traffic-stopper than a 30-inch pint-size Zebu bull; an 18-pound miniature horse foal; or a teensy Pygmy goat kid. Minis are fun to own!
And the bottom line: Quality miniatures tend to pay their way. Miniatures cost less to raise, and because they are in short supply, a ready market awaits the conscientious breeder. They can fetch good money at annual sales. And customers tend to pay a premium for value-added products in lieu of the usual kind (goat cheese or yogurt, handspun yarn, and heritage beef or pork). If you want to raise livestock and show a profit (or at least break even), think small! This is the best time in history to invest in miniature cattle, horses, donkeys, mules, sheep, goats, and llamas: breeders abound, and they are eager to welcome newcomers into the fold. Breeders on one side of the United States can easily ship miniature lambs, kids, and piglets by air, two to a standard large-size dog crate.
Whether you’re considering a pair of miniature fiber llamas, a herd of meaty Lowline cattle, or a flock of tiny sheep, this book is designed to help you find, select, buy, and take good care of your tiny charges, and if you wish, market them to others who would like to do the same.
Naturally diminutive breeds that evolved as small animals to better survive the conditions nature handed them. Think Soay sheep, San Clemente Island goats, and British Shetland ponies.