We had no idea miniature Jerseys existed until we were on the hunt for a milk cow for our smaller-than-ideal farm. It was late 2017 and, at that time, we had a small pasture, a barn and fencing, but not enough pasture for a standard Jersey cow.
Enter the mini Jersey. Just one look at those doe eyes and long lashes and we were smitten! And due to their miniature size, they required much less feed and much less space… the perfect choice for us. What we didn’t know at the time was just how hard it would be to find one of these mini milkers. Weeks of searching turned into months, some days it felt like we’d never find one! But then, after reaching out to every single mini Jersey breeder we could find, one responded with a photo of a little painted cow, shaggy in her winter coat, with those beautiful doe eyes.
In July 2018, in the pouring rain, our perfect little mini Jersey stepped off the trailer after enduring a three-weeklong trip from Nebraska. Memory Lane Sarah was even tinier and more perfect in real life, and it wasn’t long after she joined our farm family that she became the very heart of it.
We moved in 2021 from our too-small farm to 30 acres in Tennessee and grew our mini Jersey herd, which now includes several more cows as well as a handful of young heifers.
All our bovines are registered with the IMCBR and occasionally we do have a calf or cow for sale. When we do, we typically post the information on our Instagram page along with a link to our inquiry form. We ask interested folks to complete this form to help us get to know them and, in turn, help us choose the best farm for each of our individual animals. We believe the best way to set our animals up for success in their new homes is to make sure they’ll be well-cared for and meet (or exceed) the expectations of their new owners!
Pumpkin is doing so well – and we are so thankful 🙏🏻 She is eating her feed and milking so nicely… out of all our cows, Pumpkin is the easiest to milk because of her lovely udder and wonderful demeanor 💙 She isn’t quite so laid back in the pasture, in fact she’s pretty serious about making sure the younger girls know she’s in charge. You can see as Darling stands back and waits for her turn at the round bale 🤣 #pumpkintheminijersey #minijersey #a2a2 #familymilkcow
So happy that this beautiful boy has a wonderful family coming for him at weaning 😍 He will be their new herdsire, with lots of lovely ladies, and 80 acres to call his own! His new owner has a decade of experience with mini Jerseys and is just smitten with this cutie and can’t wait to get him home ❤️ #mrdarcytheminijersey #minijersey #a2a2
We use the cream off our extra milk for butter and the rest for yogurt – and we’ve finally got our recipe and method down pat 🙌🏻 #homedairy #familymilkcow #homemadeyogurt #rawdairy
So thankful for a son with such talent and some beautiful days in late November to complete the first phase of a second shed build 🏡 This one will be for the mature cows and is in the pasture we use as a sacrifice area when the cows can’t go on the main pasture. This first section is 11’ by 12’ and includes a round bale feeding area to hopefully protect the hay once it’s opened and reduce waste. We had this cattle panel already so we designed this section around the 12’ panel and added enough length so that the girls could get out of the weather as they eat 🌿 The next two sections will be 10’ each, making this shed a total length of 32’, 4’ longer than our calf shed. We hope to have it completed by spring in time to provide shade for the girls next summer ☀️ #minijersey #shedbuild
Loving every last moment of fall color before winter sets in 🍁 #mabeltheminijersey #minijersey #minimilker #familymilkcow
Four weeks old 💛 These two are such a sweet pair – she’s sassy and curious, he’s laid-back and a shy. Mr. Darcy will still have Dante to hang out with when Demi goes to her new farm in a few weeks… for now these two are making the most of their time together 🥰 #demitheminijersey #mrdarcytheminijersey #minijersey
Cows don’t care about man-made holidays and yesterday was no exception 🍁 Pumpkin showed signs of early labor around 9:30 in the morning. We gave her space and readied ourselves for the birth – it was 12 days early (but about the same time she had her calf last year) and we were so excited 🙌🏻 We continued to watch her all morning as she labored off and on. By noon we were concerned at her lack of progress and by 1:30 we were loading her on the trailer on the way to the vet for help. Around 2:30 the vet, my son and I helped Pumpkin deliver a beautiful heifer calf, breech and stillborn 💔 The vet did not know why, just an unfortunate reality… maybe the placenta detached, maybe she just labored too long. Regardless, we learned a lot yesterday, the heartbreaking way, of what to do and what not to do 😭 So thankful Pumpkin is okay, and that we were able to bring her home, feed her a well-deserved dinner and put her back with her friends, which is where she wanted to be 🤍 #minijersey
Demi Luv is officially spoken for ❤️ Mid-December she will be going to a wonderful farm with lots of friends, even a little mini Jersey heifer friend 🥰 We take rehoming our animals so seriously and this is when that hard work pays off… this new place going to be a perfect fit for her in every way 😍 #demitheminijersey #minijersey
Mr. Darcy’s beta casein results are in… he is homozygous polled *and* A2A2 ❤️ He is growing so well and staying so small – and has the most easy-going personality! He is a wonderful prospect for someone looking for miniature sized, A2, no horns in any of his offspring and painted 😍 We have gotten a lot of interest in our calves and we are going through the inquiry responses now – but if you have completed it and haven’t heard back from me yet, feel free to message me! We think this little guy is going to make someone very, very happy 🥰 #mrdarcytheminijersey #a2a2 #minijersey
This girl ❤️ It makes my heart so happy to see her growing up so strong and healthy – she is already almost 15 months old and still just as cute as she can be 🥰 #lottietheminijersey #minijersey
Cold weather fit check ❄️ A surprise frost overnight got us pulling the calf blankets out and trying them on to be sure we will be set when the winter temps arrive next week 🌡️ We are really careful when blanketing and always want to be sure they’re comfortable and can move freely in any blankets we put on them – pretty sure these will fit the bill 👍🏻 #demitheminijersey #mrdarcytheminijersey #minijersey
Just over two weeks until her due date, and Pumpkin is looking closer every day ❤️ She is due December 9th and we are getting so excited… this will be her second calf and *should* be a heifer, either way we are just praying for a healthy mama and a healthy calf 🥰 #pumpkintheminijersey #minijersey #a2a2 #calfwatch
Practicing to be big kids… these two are already nibbling on alfalfa and grass hay, and even a little calf starter 🍽️ Can’t believer they’re almost three weeks old already 🤍 #mrdarcytheminijersey #demitheminijersey #minijersey
He has a name 💛 Tin Stone Mr. Darcy, which we think suits him perfectly… a handsome hero! Thanks @halfnhalf_cattleco for the suggestion 😘 #mrdarcytheminijersey #minijersey
A little drizzle doesn’t keep this girl from looking lovely – and she’s giving us four gallons a day to boot 💛 She is really surprising us this lactation with how much she’s producing, and how much more relaxed she is in the stanchion ✨ #mabeltheminijersey #minijersey #minimilker