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.
Sarah in 2019 at 7 years of ageSarah and her last calf, Lottie
In 2021, we moved from our too-small farm and are now on 15 acres in beautiful northwest Alabama. We chose this place so we could enjoy and grow our mini Jersey herd, which now includes several more cows as well as some beautiful homegrown heifers.
One of our calving paddocks The mini barn, off the main pasture
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!
And then there were four ❤️ We’ve added Lottie’s calf to the calf group during the day, while Lottie goes out to graze. At night we reunite Lottie with her calf… it works out great for the moms to have time to eat, and the calves sleep great at night from all the fun they have during the day 🥰 #elmtheminijersey #essietheminijersey…
One week since this beauty calved ❤️ And I’m just amazed at all the prayers that have been answered: she calved on her own with zero issues, had a beautiful and healthy calf, cleaned out right away, is eating great, is a dream in the milk parlor, and giving a little over two gallons a day 🥰 Just so overwhelmed with thankfulness! #lottietheminijersey #minijersey #Godisgood…
Look who’s gotten so grown up 🥹 This litter of piglets is already eight weeks old and completely weaned… and doing great! Aster is a wonderful sow, she had 12 live piglets and weaned 12 – she’s really a rockstar 🤩 Several from this litter have already gone to their new homes, but we still have gilts and barrows available! Message me if you want more info or know someone who might – you won’t be disappointed in these piglets 🥰 #gloucestershireoldspot #berkshire #piglets #pasturedpork…
Who are these big kids, already munching on hay? I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how easily these three have learned to eat and drink, with almost no help from us. They get calf starter and unlimited super-soft second cut grass hay… along with their daily milk, of course ❤️ #elmtheminijersey #easytheminijersey #essietheminijersey #minijersey…
The huge cypress trees in the calf paddock provide fantastic shade and, evidently, endless entertainment too 🥰 #elmtheminijersey #easytheminijersey #minijersey…
Out for a walk 🌼 Lottie and her calf are doing great and I just can’t put into words how relieved and thankful I am 🥹 She is the most devoted mom and just completely smitten with her baby… she reminds me so much of Sarah 💛 #lottietheminijersey #sarahtheminijersey #minijersey…
One year ago, my son and I drove almost 1200 miles round trip to Missouri. We were picking up a bull from @halfnhalf_cattleco – RRR Holdin Strong, better known as Magni ❤️ A few months earlier I’d reached out to his owner, Bridgette, to see if she’d consider allowing me to bring him home for the summer. When she agreed, I could hardly believe it… after all he was my very favorite bull, and I’d be able to use him on my girls, all summer! When we arrived to pick him up he was even lovelier than I’d expected… and *so* gentle! Bridgette put a pan of alfalfa pellets into my trailer, opened the gate and he walked right in 🥰 The travel was tiring, and it was hard to get away from the farm for the two-day trip (twice!), but I’m so incredibly thankful we did. Not only because now, a year later, we’ve had some of our best calves ever hit the ground, but because Magni has since passed away 💔 So grateful for Bridgette trusting me with him for the summer and grateful I took the chance to bring a mature bull home – now I have his beautiful offspring to carry on his genetics ❤️ #magnitheminijersey #minijersey…
She did it ♥️ And she did it all by herself! I went in to grab a snack to hold me over, assuming it was going to be a long morning of calf watch, and when I came out, she was already here ♥️ So many answered prayers – thank you to everyone who was praying on her and her baby’s behalf! #lottietheminijersey #minijersey #magnitheminijersey…
I think Lottie is in very early labor, her behavior is especially telling – we turned her out alone in our pasture with the best grass because she wasn’t wanting to graze this morning in the big field as usual. She did nibble for a while once we moved her, but is now just standing in the furthest corner, same place she was when she labored last year. Once I know for sure that today is the day, I’ll bring her down closer where we can see her better and she’ll be more in the shade. Please keep her and her calf in your prayers – we are so hopeful she’ll have a calf of her own to love on this time ♥️ #lottietheminijersey #minijersey #calfwatch…
Late pregnancy is tough and Lottie is just a few days away from her due date. Honey Bee just knows Lottie needs some extra love right now ❤️ #honeybeetheminijersey #lottietheminijersey…
The three calves from this year so far have truly surpassed my expectations – I could not be more pleased with them 😍 Two more to go… hoping they’re just like the three already on the ground 🙏🏻 Lottie should have hers in the next week and Etta is due in less than a month 🥰 #essietheminijersey #elmtheminijersey #easytheminijersey #minijersey…
