Mini cow resources: Caring for your mini cows

Everyone has their list of favorite mini cow resources. This is mine! Bookmark this page because I'll start adding to it regularly. If you have a favorite thing, drop me a note and I'll add it here!

General mini cow resource lists from other places

• Homestead & Miniature Cattle Directory -- a good collection of all kinds of resources

Mini cattle sizing and growth charts

• Framescore and Growth Chart for mini cattle -- This is a commonly referenced source when trying to figure out how big will a mini cow get

Genetic testing including colors

There's two primary places for genetic testing. The most common tests for mini cattle is for chondrodysplasia and color. There are other breed-specific tests and milk panel tests. Most tests are done by plucking tail hairs to keep the hair root bulb intact, and then sending in, although some testing requires a blood draw. Both labs have detailed instructions. Most of the tests are the same across the two labs, although Texas A&M now has a White Park test and a White Dexter test.

• UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory

• Texas A&M Animal Genetics Laboratory

Coat colors

• Color Coat Basics chart -- This is one of my go-to color coat charts, especially when I first started testing colors, because it has pictures and probabilities.

Chondrodysplasia

This is a tricky but important topic. I will curate a range of resources and research here to help you make decisions about whether and how to use this in your breeding program. Stay tuned ...

Equipment

• Brushes -- my minis love the curry-style brushes. We really like the one pictured in the middle here. I also have had good luck with this style on the right in the picture -- it's very inexpensive and since it slips on your hand it gets you up close and you can get a great feel such as to do a visual health inspection.. For dematting and heavier brushing like for spring shedding, my favorite is the Sullivan Dually Hair Shedding Comb, shown on the left in this picture.