How much pasture would a single small-breed cow require?
Depending on the quality of pasture, small-breed cattle will need half to 1 acre of pasture per animal. Ideally, it’s healthiest if the pasture can be divided into smaller sections and used in a rotational grazing pattern. These small cows don’t require heavy-duty fencing — a single hot wire will be enough in many cases. Some people simply tie their small-breed cow to a tire and let it graze in the front yard. They just pick up the tire and roll it to a new spot as needed. So are these “hybrids” of miniature breeds and standard dairy cows? Or do you select the smallest size “standard” animals to get the miniatures? The cattle breeds that were introduced into the United States at the turn of the 20th century were quite small compared to cattle today. Cattle have been “bred up” to increase the size and the volume of milk and beef production. Some cattle still carry the genetics of their smaller ancestors. Our “breeding down” involves selecting these smaller-size purebred cattle and cross
