Our Miniature Cows
Adward Miniature Farm raises Miniature Jersey Cows personally hand selected from the original Riverview, Martin and Snow Foundation Bloodlines in the early 1990’s when there were only 100 of these rare breed Miniature Jersey Cattle in the world. Our bloodlines are descendants of the original Miniature Jersey Cattle, once known as Alderney Cattle, imported from the Channel Island of Jersey and have been kept in their original pure form. Our ancestry records and recordings from old family bibles give credit to George Poindexter’s (Poindestre’s) family having been the first to ship Miniature Jersey Cows in 1657 to the Virginia Colony in the area known as “Guinea”. In referencing the Miniature Jersey Cattle, some of us original breeders and original registrars referred them as Guinea Cattle. “Miniature” Jersey Cattle are the original Jersey. After the breed was brought to America, they were selectively crossbred to larger size cows forming the Jersey Cow of today. With the limited gene pool of Foundation Bloodlines existing, many breeders are now crossing them with full size Standard Jerseys and other cattle breeds to develop a designer breed and registering them as “Native” Pure Miniature Jerseys instead of the original “Foundation Pure” Miniature Jerseys.
Miniature Jersey Cows at three years of age and over should not exceed 700 pounds live weight. They must be under 42 inches tall at the hip to be classified as “Miniature”. Compare this to the standard mature full size Standard Jersey Cow which weighs 1000 to 2000 pounds and is 50 to 60 inches tall.
Over the many years of selective breeding, bloodlines have produced Miniature Jersey Cows that average in height 34 to 36 inches and 350 to 450 pounds. bloodlines are currently the smallest in the database of the American Miniature Jersey Association and Registry (AMJAR). The AMJAR was the FIRST original Miniature Jersey Cow Registry formed by Robert Mock.
Available miniatures cows
Miniature cows come in a variety of colors from many shades of brown, brindle, black and occasionally pinto or splashed with white. Miniature Jersey Cows are naturally polled animals which means they are born without horns.
Miniature cows are members of the bovine family. All cows are ruminants and have four-chamber stomachs. They are cud-chewing animals. Male cows are called bulls. Altered males are called steers. Females are called cows. It takes a cow nine months to have a baby calf. At birth, a baby Miniature Jersey calf weighs approximately 15 to 25 pounds and is from 14 to 16 inches tall. Miniature cows can live up to 25 years with the possibility of producing 23 calves. Miniature cows are very docile and easy to handle. They can be kept on as little as 1/4 acre of land. They require 1/3 the nutrition of an average full size cow.
Miniature Jersey Cows are a sound economic investment. They produce up to four gallons of milk daily and yield higher quality marketable beef. With the emphasis on health related diets to eat smaller servings of meat, the consumer can enjoy smaller cuts of beef with more marbling and less fat. Not only are miniature cows very practical for milk and beef supply, their small size, hardy constitution, gentle nature and rarity make them ideal for any exotic investor, backyard hobbyist or farmer.
We are very proud of the daily handling and care given to our miniatures here at Adward Farm. We provide proper nutrition and quality veterinary care to all of our animals. Our livestock is current on vaccinations, dental checkups, hoof care, and worming. The health of our animals is very important to us, and we follow rather strict practices. We maintain a closed herd, which means we do not bring in any new animals, embryos or semen. Once an animal is sold, it may not be returned. So that we do not unintentionally introduce disease into our herds, we do not bring our animals to shows, and we do not borrow or lend animals for breeding. We prefer weanlings do not leave Tanglewood Farm before they are 4 months of age. They need time to grow and play with other weanlings, receive discipline from their mothers, and time to change their diet gradually to eliminate the desire for mother’s milk. This also enables Adward Farm time to deworm the weanlings and give them their first vaccinations. All miniatures come with Adward Farm health papers showing up to date vaccinations, deworming schedule, and hoof trimming schedule. They also leave Farm with a brand new halter and leadline. If you need transportation, we can arrange ground transport within the US and Canada. To other countries, we can arrange air transportation on major airlines.