What You Should Know About Raising Miniature Herefords

A Beginner’s Guide

An Introduction

This page is for those 40-, 50-, or 60-something persons nearing or in retirement that have, or has plans, to move to a rural property and is considering raising cattle, specifically perhaps Miniature Herefords. I am designing the site for a level of background experience and knowledge of cattle that matches what mine was when I started...none!

I want to offer encouragement and insights from my experience to those considering becoming Miniature Herefords owners. I would like to make your experience a little easier and a little less confusing. For those of us not raised in a livestock culture there is a lot of catching-up to do. I also found that most questions about cattle are only discovered by doing it. Can it be done? Sure!

I do not claim that anything I relate is the only or best way to do something. Everyone who raises Miniature Herefords for any length of time will have developed management and handling practices that work for them. I invite questions, insights and observations from others.

I am in East-Central Texas so the soils and climate here are what I know. Readers from dissimilar conditions will have to be careful to make adjustments to my notes to suit their situation. I'll try to make note of these situations.

With that in mind...

Since I am retired for fifteen years now, you will find my comments frequently mention "personal energy levels". I move slower now (one knee replaced) and my cattle handling techniques reflect my concern for my personal  safety and how much I can realistically accomplish. They also reflect how much energy I want to spend doing some of these things. Besides cattle I like to garden a little and I enjoy my woodworking. Finding a balance is important to me.

My attitude as a Miniature Hereford owner is this: I'm up in years and I don't want to be afraid of my animals. I want to control them but I also want a trusting, respectful relationship with them. I don't rope, chase, or play rodeo with my cattle. All my animals have names and would have even if they weren't registered. I talk to them as if they understand me. I scratch their backs and brush their coats because we each enjoy it.

There is a specialness to cattle that is hard to explain. People experience it with horses.  Being able to develop a relationship with a large animal is a unique thing.

Starting Out! Why cattle?

There is no rationale for one type of livestock over another other than the differing space and tools each requires. It really just depends on our own personal tastes and goals. Goats can be fun too. Whichever we choose, we should become a knowledgeable owner. These animals are depending on us.

Why Miniature Herefords?

Smaller cattle have less impact on the land and facilities and the physical demands on our aging body. This is because Miniature Herefords (and the Hereford breed in particular) have an easy going temperament not found in most cattle, even the ubiquitous Black Angus. Coupled with their smaller size, this makes them perfect for folks new to cattle. Plus, they're just so darned pretty!

Where are the best resources for learning about caring for Miniature Herefords?

Whatever is true in the care and upkeep of larger market cattle, is true for Miniature Herefords. They are the same animal, only smaller. Handling, health issues, nutrition requirements, mating, and calving, are all the same. Any differences will due to their specific breed. Consequently, State Agricultural Extension publications are expert  and relevant resources for us. (Links to some of their publications can be found here http://www.jcsminihereford.com/resources .)

Since Ag Extension functions to promote profitable agricultural production, their goal is tied to the economics of cattle husbandry and marketing. Some of the economics may not always be as relevant to us as Miniature Hereford owners. And, some techniques may not be as applicable to raising non-market (pet and breeder-market) cattle on small properties.   

The very best resource for information on raising Miniature Herefords specifically, is the Miniature Hereford Community. I am indebted to many people who spent a lot of time acting as mentors to my education. Here are the two things you should do early-on if you want to shorten your learning curve.

1. Join the Miniature Hereford Breeders Association. (Go see their website.)

Find other members near you. Visit their website if they have one or give them a phone call. Ask if you can come for a visit. Tell them you are new and trying to learn more about the whole thing. Since they likely sell some of their stock from time-to-time, they will be more than  happy to have you visit. Repeat as many times as you can.

2. Go to Miniature Herefords Shows. The people you meet and the things you will learn will be very important to you. Plus you will meet some of the nicest people in the world.

Will Miniature Herefords qualify my land for an agricultural tax exemption?

Yes. Mini Herefords are just smaller version of the larger framed Herefords. Counties, especially rural counties, don't like to give up their tax base but they do want to encourage a viable ag economy. Some Texas counties I am familiar with have minimum standards for qualifying your property for an agricultural tax exemption. It can vary widely from county to county. They will typically have a minimum number of acres (10 is usually the minimum) or the minimum number of cows (usually five or more).

Do I have to breed my Miniature Herefords?

Nope. We can park a couple of animals on a few acres and avoid a lot of issues associated with breeding by not breeding them. Buying steers is cheaper than buying cows and heifers and can be a good way to learn about cattle care before stepping up to a breeding herd.  But check to see if they qualify your property for an exemption.

If we want (or need) our land to be tax exempt, sometimes cows are required. And you could just not breed them, ever. You then avoid the breeding process and the calving process and the beautiful baby Herefords running around the place. It's a no-brainer for me. I like the little ones!

If I do breed my Miniature Herefords, what do I do with excess animals?

This is an important question and something we should be prepared for. Much of our management planning will revolve around balancing cattle numbers, grazable forage, hay stockpile, and feed costs. The basic answer is "sell'em or eat'em".

When we get close to our cattle emotionally, slaughter is a grim decision we would like to avoid. Selling them is preferable of course and requires active marketing and having good sale animals. Unless we decide to allow your cattle to live out their life on your pasture (which is done), the meat processor is the inevitable end for all cattle. At some point it becomes a fact of reality that we have to accept. It's the same as for our pet dog or cat. We know what will happen; we  just give our pets the best life we can and be thankful for the love we receive in return.

It's better to sell them since you can get some cash flow and hopefully break even. Selling means marketing and that takes time and effort so be prepared. You will have bull calves and you will get heifer calves. Everyone wants a heifer; few want bulls. So, bulls are castrated and turned into steers and few people may not want these if they don't help qualify for an exemption and they don't make babies; they just eat grass. Steers may qualify as pets for those people that just want some cattle roaming the place and perhaps be friendly enough to pet and comb and enjoy up-close. This is a viable market but you do have to train those steers so they are friendly. This involves time and effort also. (We'll talk about training later.) 

How much land is best for Miniature Herefords?

Another very important question. There is a balance to be achieved regardless how big or small your property. It involves the number of animals, the amount of grazable forage, the hay reserves we have on hand, and feed costs. A smaller number of animals is easier to manage during a drought when forage disappears. Since we can replace grass with hay and feed when necessary, it comes down to dollars in the end. But it also impacts our personal energy levels since it is a lot easier to put out hay for five animals than for twenty. And the hay goes pretty fast with the twenty. This is an issue that affects all cattle owners, not just us hobby-farmers. Farmers and cattle raisers have for centuries have been at the mercy of the markets and weather. It is no different for us.

How much land do I need or how many Miniature Herefords can I put on land I already have?

It all starts with our land resource. The term "desirable grazable forage" is a grass community that has both the quantity, nutrition, and the seasonal presence for as long as the typical season in our area to keep our animals healthy. Variables such as soil, fertility, rainfall, weeds, and over-use all impact grazable forage levels. It's really a site-based issue and each piece of land is different. If there is no fairly recent history of grazing on the property, you may seek professional assistance from your county Agriculture Extension Service or the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the US Department of Agriculture. They can help with identifying the grasses already present, weed problems, soils characteristics, drainage, and many other issues.

If your property has recently or traditionally been used for grazing, you can get a fairly good idea of its potential by talking to people in the area who are actively grazing. They will also be familiar with the typical grasses in your area. However you do it, you need to become familiar with the typical forage grasses and weeds in the area. Do collect soil samples to determine fertility needs for your land. The largest local feed farm co-op are great sources of local information about soils, weed control, fertilization, and liming. They may send off your soil samples for you.

So, how many animals? Roughly: in the case of unimproved range or old-field sites, your stocking rate (number of head of cattle per acre) may be as high as ten or more acres for each animal. In an intensely managed pasture with adequate rainfall, two acres per head may be achievable. I'll be talking about ways to do that later. There are some caveats however.  The controlling variable in each case will be the soils and the amount of annual rainfall in your area.

Technically, you could keep five head on one acre if you feed them well. This is what is known as the "feedlot". It's where they spend the day standing in their accumulated manure waiting for you to feed them. That's why they will need regular antibiotic injections. The grocery store beef typically comes from this type of environment. I don't want that lifestyle for my animals so I won't be discussing how to do a feedlot.

How many Miniature Herefords should I start with?

If you have little to no experience with cattle, go small! Start with two or three, no more than five.* Don't start with just one! Cattle are social herd animals and don't like being alone. It is more stressful on the animal and stress reduction is a management goal since stress-free animals will be healthier animals. Two is a pair, three is a herd, five will keep you busy. Here is why:

Starting with three bred cows means that you will soon end up with three calves on the ground. Your herd size has just doubled to six. If two of those calves are heifers that you want to keep, about 10 months later your re-bred cows will deliver three more calves, (perhaps one is a heifer and two are bulls). If you bred your first two heifer at 15 months old, they will give you two additional calves; (perhaps two bulls). Now you have three cows, two first-time heifers, five bull calves and one new heifer calf. You now have 11 animals in your herd.

It happens faster that you would think. Now we have to find a way to get rid of the bulls. If we turn them into steers and if we have the pasture space, we can hold them until sold as pets or market them as beef. If they don't sell within the next fifteen months you will have bigger animals that eat more grass. If you land can't provide what is needed you might find yourself at the end of a droughty summer and in need of a sizeable quantity of hay. And perhaps, so will everyone else. So the price of hay rises and hay supplies start to shrink. You see where this is going.  

The key is not to wait until you are stuck with hard-to-sell animals (anything other than a heifer). Do give thought early on as to how you will move your excess animals. I'll talk about marketing your animals in another post.

 * Some counties will require a minimum number of animals to qualify for an agricultural tax exemption.

How much do Miniature Herefords cost?

There is a wide range to this issue. When I started I had no intention of showing Mini's so I purchased two cows, ages six and seven years old (Kim and Elvira). They were registered animals. I paid $700 for each. I knew top-rated show animals could get expensive, upwards of $2000 to $5000 at the time. Fortunately I happened to buy good cows (albeit a bit older) from a reputable breeder.  

General rule: always buy the best you can afford. Expect to pay $1500 to $2000 for a reasonable heifer. Good quality heifers will run you $2000 to over $4000. Show animals that have a lot of awards will be higher priced but it may not necessarily mean they are superior specimens.  Start with animals from experienced breeders of quality animals.  

Unregistered animals may be less costly for starting out. However, this can be a limiting factor later. For example: you may decide to raise some animals to sell as packaged beef and sell it at Farmer’s Markets. Registration is not required for this. But lets say that your best cow delivers a beautiful little heifer. And you find that Miniature Hereford heifers are twiddle sought after and that you might be able get $2500 for her. Most buyers in this price range will be new breeders who want to show the animal or its offspring. Registration IS required to show an animal. Registration will offer more flexibility in how you market your animal and the price you can get. It’s something to consider. In either case…its still gonna be fun!

How do I recognize a "quality animal" when buying a Miniature Hereford?

No matter what our purpose is for our animals; pets, meat sales, or breeding stock, we want animals that are structurally sound and in good health. Learning to identify such animals is a valuable skill. The  purpose of livestock shows is to exhibit what the industry and an owner believes or hopes is a superior animal. A superior cattle specimen is one which grows easily on pasture forage, is hardy to weather extremes according to its breed, is fertile (bulls and cows), will reliably service any cow he encounters (bull), will conceive and deliver a calf every year (cow), and wean a calf that weighs high for its breed (current traditional industry goal, not for Mini's).

These traits are estimated two ways; (1) actual past performance of the sire and dam and (2) structural conformation. Structural conformation entails the evaluation of bone structure as an indicator of the animal being able to efficiently and reliably withstand the rigors of mating and raising healthy calves with the same traits. Some of the best basic information for how to evaluate cattle can be found in cattle judging manuals. These are available at State Ag Extension Departments and in 4H and FFA publications (http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/publications/4-h-livestock-judging-manual).

Although it may appear that livestock shows have evolved into a beauty contest in some ways, livestock shows are still a good place to look for quality breeders and animals. But it is up to we as owners to develop the skill to know a good animal (or bad one) when we see one.

What type of facilities do you need to have Miniature Herefords?

I added the "Miniature Herefords" in the title because some of what I say will apply to these specifically. If you have large cattle everything gets sized up and in many instances, they won't be as docile as MHs.

The most important facility you must have and have BEFORE you get your cattle is GOOD FENCING! You cannot imagine the feeling in the pit of your stomach when you see three of your animals grazing down the county road, headed towards a state highway. Containing your herd is essential. Cattle that have grass to graze, water, some shade, and a companion, will not likely try to escape your property. But cattle are inquisitive and will take advantage of the seemingly smallest opening to go exploring.  I'll outline the types of fencing available and their advantages and disadvantages in another post.

The next most important component of your facilities is WATER. Cattle need it and  depending on the size of your property, you should have multiple watering locations for the herd. Just getting starting, one water supply point will do but monitor it daily to make sure it is filled. Using a pond for your cattle should be considered carefully. Cattle love to stand in water on a hot day. They also urinate and defecate in the water..the water they will drink. They will create a margin of deep hoof prints in the mud and keep the pond water the color of chocolate milk. If you have a pond (my land had a small one existing), you may consider fencing it off from cattle but still allow wildlife access. Electric fencing works well for this.

Next, have some GRASS. The amount of grass you have ultimately determines how many animals your property can support without relying on bagged feed and hay. Feeding from bags is not a bad thing... just an expensive one. If cattle have been grazed on your property before, there may be suitable forage in place already. If not, your forage community may need to be renovated by removing weeds or brush, scarifying the soil to improve water infiltration, fertilizing, and/or seeding. You can have your animals while accomplishing these tasks.  More on this later.

You will need one or more HOLDING PENS and a CATCH PEN. These are not crucial immediately but you should have at least one pen before you get your animals. This pen need not be really big but large enough for a few head to be kept  comfortably for a few days. The pen should contain a water trough and some access to shade (if possible). Eventually you may have two or three holding pens depending on the type of animals you have; cows, bulls, heifers, steers. There will be an occasion when you need to separate some animals from others. The catch pen is a pen you can get the whole herd in from the pasture prior to separating individuals between  holding pens. I'll have some examples later.

You will need a HEADGATE and CHUTE. At our age, we don't play "rodeo" with our animals. Also, a veterinarian will not want to handle your cattle without suitable restraining equipment. It's unsafe for all concerned.  Even though your cattle may be very gentle and like to get your hugs and scratches, they won't be crazy about getting palpated or get a shot, or have a thorn pulled from their hoof. You can also use your chute to load into a trailer. I'll describe this equipment in more detail later.

In the future you will need a TRAILER to carry your animals to the vet, deliver an animal you sold, or pick up a purchase. Ideally, a good neighbor or friend nearby may have such a trailer and be willing to loan it to you, if you have something to pull it. This arrangement will be good for a while but eventually you should get your own. Trailers are like cars...lots of choices. I'll detail them later.

Although and animal BARN is not necessary immediately, you will want to get a SHELTER for you animals and/or your supplies of feed, hay, or other equipment. This may be a simple three-wall shelter facing south or a four-sided, fully enclosed barn. Budget is always a factor of course and you can DIY the thing if you have the urge. Small three-sided metal shelters are pretty affordable. Enclosed barns are more expensive. The type of structure you need will depend on how you want to raise your animals. Again, this is a topic that can be expanded on later.

OK...now you have your place ready, your three new cattle have just been delivered and you're leaning over the holding pen fence watching them as they investigate their new home and get settled. It's time to give you an idea of what you need t be doing to care for your herd.

What do you do with your animals?

Assuming you have decided to have Miniature Hereford babies on your property, you are a "cow-calf operation" . Your goal involves breeding to increase your herd size for either meat for yourself or the general public. It may be sales of live animals to other MH breeders. These folks may be involved in show competition, or want a bovine as pet or "landscape ornament". What is missing here is the traditional economic model of cattle raising for an income.

The historical and current economic model of "the cattle business" is as follows: 1) Establish a herd of good quality cows and bulls and produce as many calves per year as you can. 2) Sell your weaned calves at a public auction. 3) Repeat. This the simple description. It gets more complicated. As I mentioned before, weather and markets affect resources, demand, supply, and prices. Foreign sales have a big impact. It also appears that a human virus has a big effect. Most of these can't be specifically predicted at a point in time but you know they'll happen sometime (or not).

As a Miniature Hereford breeder, if you want to market your animals, the alternative avenues available to you dictate how you raise your animals and the amount of time you spend with them. While Miniature Herefords do sometimes appear at public cattle auction barns (I'm told), the animals are usually of poor quality (I'm told). I never met a MH owner that has purchased their animals from an auction barn.

(Note: The Miniature Hereford Breeders Association once sponsored auctions in conjunction with their sponsored shows but have not done that for a number of years now. I just recently became aware that last fall (Nov 2019) a sale and auction specifically for Miniature Herefords was held after the stock show at the Ft Worth Livestock Show. This event was sponsored Miniature Hereford Cowtown Classic, a separate 501c group. This promises to be an excellent resources for buyers and sellers of MH's. They have their own Facebook page "@minicowtown". Take a look at it.)

Here are your options for marketing your animals:

1) Beef Sales. - Many Mini owners will process animals for their own consumption or for public sales. Animals destined for the processor need not be trained to become accustomed to being handled by humans. They don't need to be halter broke or trained to lead. Just give them a good pasture, keep up their vaccinations, and bring them in to an area where you can worm them and apply fly repellent during the summer. Since these animals will not like being close to you while you do these tasks, you will appreciate having some handling equipment  to restrain them safely and enable you to touch them safely. A narrow chute of cattle panels leading from a pen to a head-gate at the end of the chute will be required.

2) Live Animal Sales - These are sales to other breeders or to people who want to interact closely with the animal and/or perhaps to take them to the show ring. Trying to sell a wild animal is possible but not all your potential clients will know how to train. So training will be an important task for each calf you raise and sell for this market, whether for your own herd or for others. Training is a close-up, hands on, daily activity that may go on for weeks and perhaps months; depending on the animal and your skill. Training is very important and there are a lot of differing techniques out there. We'll talk more about training later. The important thing to know is that you will feed and water every morning and every evening. You will work with the calf at least two times a day with the halter. You will spend time grooming and bathing the calf. The calf must come to know and trust you. After training, you should be able to touch and handle any part of the calf's body without resistance from the animal.

How will you sell your beef?

There are two ways to sell beef publicly.

1) Sell a whole or part (a share) of an animal. A share can be a "whole", "half, or "split quarter". In this model, you are selling a portion of a live animal that will not be processed until it is completely sold. The animal is usually sold to the buyer at a price-per-pound of the weight of the "hanging carcass". A hanging carcass is what is left for processing after the head, feet, and entrails have been removed. (Organ meat liver, heart, tongue, etc., may be preserved if buyer requests it.)

The sale begins when the buyer pays a deposit to the breeder. The buyer will then give "cutting instructions" to the abattoir (meat processor, slaughterhouse) prior to the animal being delivered for processing. The breeder delivers the animal to the processor and the animal is process that day to the hanging carcass stage. It may then be left hanging in a cold room for curing for whatever period of time the buyer has instructed. At the end of the curing process, the carcass is cut and packaged according to the buyer's instructions and immediately frozen. The buyer is responsible for paying the balance of the purchase price and processing fee and  for picking up the order.

This selling process is the simplest way to sell publicly since the breeder only delivers the sold animal. The most demanding aspect will be how to market your animals for sale. Websites are the most common method and good sites are pretty effective. Establishing a clientele over time is the ultimate goal. This means raising quality animals, repeatedly and constantly. Consequently, you are concerned with you animal's daily diet and overall health. You must become familiar with grass type and quality, minerals  in the diet, seasonal forage growth and gaps, hay quality, feed types and quality. You also monitor your animals behavior for indications of disease, injury, or stress.

2) Sell individual meat cuts. Sales may be made out of your house but most typically it is done at farmer's markets and through websites. This method requires processing by a USDA-inspected processor ONLY. Online web sources can help you find a processor near you.

This model can vary quite a bit since each breeder will tune their methods to their particular circumstances. Some may only rent spaces at seasonal markets for seasonal animal production or establish a constant presence at a 12-month market for a year-round cash flow. In either case dealing directly with the public requires preparation, visibility, and reputation. It also requires storage facilities.

Selling meat cuts individually to retail customers, like any business that is serious about turning a profit, is very nearly a full time job. A lot of your time will be devoted to marketing. Effective marketing is an art as far as I am concerned. I find some folks are really good at it. Others, not so much.  There is a lot of info out there on selling at local markets. Visit https://www.texasagriculture.gov/, https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu,  and http://www.gotexan.org/

Working Cattle

Most of your interaction with cattle will be of the gentler side; feeding, brushing, petting, perhaps haltering and leading. Fun stuff. There are other times however that require a more structured and controlled interaction. Like...vaccinations, fly treatments, worming, treating an injury, palpating a cow, taking a blood sample, and any other activity that may make an animal feel uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that they will react violently and try to run away, perhaps over you. One of those occasions will likely be getting vaccinated or having blood drawn. Just about anything involving needles.

These are the occasions that you need to prepare for because this is where people can get hurt or get your animal hurt. Fortunately, the size and temperament of Miniature Herefords lessens the risk a bit, but not so much as to take them lightly. When a frightened 800-pound animal decides to leave...it will try to leave in any direction it thinks best; perhaps over you.  Since this is the time that we need to get really close, it's also the time they are most nervous or scared. Always handle your cattle, no matter how big, with yours and their safety in mind.  Be patient. Work deliberately and efficiently but in no hurry. (See the Resources Section of my website for some references.)

It's good practice to vaccinate your herd annually. I do mine in April, after the end of the breeding season. (Talk to your vet about an annual program.) Most of us newbie's will feel  inadequate to this task and schedule an appointment to take your animals in (if you have only a small trailer load) or have the vet come to your herd (if you don't have a trailer or the herd is larger). My herd is large enough to have the vet come to us.

You will need some equipment that allows you to restrain the animal so you or your vet can administer to them for just about anything that comes up. The attached videos will give you an idea of what is involved in the handling process. Cattle don't usually like being restrained and poked so they are often reluctant.  I follow these steps in preparation for  the day's activities:

1. A day or two before your appointment, tidy up the working area. Pick up any and all trash items like paper, cans, lumber, etc.   Visual clutter confuses (stresses)  the cattle. Mow any tall weeds or grass. Make sure your equipment is in good repair. Oil the moving parts of the working equipment to reduce unfamiliar noises that might startle the animals.

2. If you have a morning appointment, bring your animals into a holding pasture or pen the night before the appointment. If your appointment is later in the day, bring your cattle down first thing in the morning. You vet will not take kindly to participating in a roundup or watching you riding off to the pasture to get them.

3. The vet has established their procedure and practices that they use. Let the vet run the show. Be ready to help, if and when they ask. Don't assume that your idea of "helping" will actually be appreciated. (I have a hard time with this one but I'm learning about when to stay still and out of the way.)

Large animal veterinarians are becoming scarcer in some areas these days. We need successful, (read: profitable) vets out there when we need them. Veterinarians operate on slim margins because most of their clients are in a production mode and costs are crucial to commercial cattle producers. So vets want to minimize the amount of time they have to spend on an appointment just like any doctor. Following the above steps will allow them to come in, get right to work, work efficiently and quickly, and leave. Good preparation will also minimize the time and the accompanying stress your cattle will experience in the working pens. Since stress contributes to unhealthy animals, this is a good thing!