Mini-Hereford on Bryan McKay's Sale.

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GoWyo

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BS - I am wondering the same thing about your big sheep.  Are any western range outfits using them or are they more of a niche market?  How are they for coyote resistance.  Seems that even though they still smell like a sheep, coyotes might be intimidated by their size.

Mini beef breeds can have some utility for folks that don't want the full size cuts of meat.  I can see a definite niche market for them, especially if the quality of the meat is high.  The other neat thing is that a guy can take his place that runs 50 regular size cows and replace them with minis to make it a 100-cow ranch.  Sounds more impressive.  Definitely more useful than llamas or alpacas for a small acreage.

There are also mini bucking bulls some producers use for kids' bull riding events.  Here we have "Tiny Twisters," and it's a hoot to watch.
 
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kfacres

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GoWyo said:
BS - I am wondering the same thing about your big sheep.  Are any western range outfits using them or are they more of a niche market?  How are they for coyote resistance.  Seems that even though they still smell like a sheep, coyotes might be intimidated by their size.
Click to expand...

Although, I don't sell to any western range flocks (other than Farrell Wankier in Utah- the king supplier of range rams) directly-- I've got quite a nifty market around the area for selling commerical bucks.  Other than this year, I haven't sold but 5 ram lambs to kill in about 7 years- lambing as many as 80 ewes each year.  Three were QQ, and two I was just tired of feeding about the end of July-- as luck would have it a potential buyer would call the next week...  In terms of ewe lambs- I've not sold a ewe lamb to market, in my time in the sheep business- coming on 13 years this spring.  Sure, we butcher a few for ourselves, and sell the broken legs to locals for butcher lambs- but that's not very many.

Now this year, that's a different deal- With lamb prices like they were; I cashed in on almost all my rams lambs at weaning and sold those 2 and 3 month old lambs weighing 60-100 lbs for almost $3. a pound... Honestly, would say I made more PURE profit on them, than i did the upper end that I sold for stud bucks in the $600-$1200 range. 

Niche market maybe?  But then again, when you're in a 'smaller' type breed (annual registration of about 1100 (and we register 50-70 each year)- that's not really "commercially" acceptable- and yet not really large enough spread to be showring dominate across the country... I'd say you're pretty well stuck within a niche like all the smaller beef breeds... 
 
TJ

TJ

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Cut the BS said:
Is the mini/ small type cattle just a niche market?  Or how big of a hit would they take at the local United Reducers auctions?

Are their any 'large' scale operations producing these 'smaller' cattle?  Or just homeboys with 10 or 20 cows on 10 acres.??
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"Is the mini/ small type cattle just a niche market?"  

Mini cattle absolutely are niche only!  Small cattle will depend upon just how small you are talking.  I wouldn't call frame 3 or bigger cattle strictly a "niche".  But, smaller than a frame 3, absolutely it would be a "niche".  

"Or how big of a hit would they take at the local United Reducers auctions?"

Mini's would take a hit.  And again, small cattle will totally depend upon how small you are talking and possibly where you are located.  I've only sold a few half Lowline steers at the sale barn and I got right around top dollar.  They were probably in the frame 3 - 5 range.  However, the way the grass fed beef market is exploding, I would not sell them at the sale barn.  Way too many people are looking to get into the grass fed meat business right now & many of them are having an extremely hard time producing enough steers and/or finding enough steers.  

"Are their any 'large' scale operations producing these 'smaller' cattle?  Or just homeboys with 10 or 20 cows on 10 acres.??"

Mostly people with less than 20 acres. I do know about a handful of herds up in the hundred - 200 range.  Those bigger herds are selling both seedstock & beef, but mostly seedstock.  A guy in southwest Missouri told me that he would have around 75 fall born calves this year, mostly percentage Lowline.  He mostly sells grass steers, but some seedstock too.  
 
TJ

TJ

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sue said:
she looks really nice TJ.
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Thanks!  She's just way too small, unfortunately.  Probably not even a frame 0.
 
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kfacres

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TJ said:
Cut the BS said:
Is the mini/ small type cattle just a niche market?  Or how big of a hit would they take at the local United Reducers auctions?

Are their any 'large' scale operations producing these 'smaller' cattle?  Or just homeboys with 10 or 20 cows on 10 acres.??
Click to expand...

"Is the mini/ small type cattle just a niche market?"  

Mini cattle absolutely are niche only!  Small cattle will depend upon just how small you are talking.  I wouldn't call frame 3 or bigger cattle strictly a "niche".  But, smaller than a frame 3, absolutely it would be a "niche".  

"Or how big of a hit would they take at the local United Reducers auctions?"

Mini's would take a hit.  And again, small cattle will totally depend upon how small you are talking and possibly where you are located.  I've only sold a few half Lowline steers at the sale barn and I got right around top dollar.  They were probably in the frame 3 - 5 range.  However, the way the grass fed beef market is exploding, I would not sell them at the sale barn.  Way too many people are looking to get into the grass fed meat business right now & many of them are having an extremely hard time producing enough steers and/or finding enough steers.  

"Are their any 'large' scale operations producing these 'smaller' cattle?  Or just homeboys with 10 or 20 cows on 10 acres.??"

Mostly people with less than 20 acres. I do know about a handful of herds up in the hundred - 200 range.  Those bigger herds are selling both seedstock & beef, but mostly seedstock.  A guy in southwest Missouri told me that he would have around 75 fall born calves this year, mostly percentage Lowline.  He mostly sells grass steers, but some seedstock too.  
Click to expand...

Thanks.. thats awesome to know... If things get rough around here, and we don't end up with a place the size we're looking for... Some mini, or lowline cattle might be in our future... Boy will that be a sight...  sheep and cows grazing the same pastures... the same size/// Wonder who'll out push who at the bunk?
 
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