Halter Breaking Our Miniature Heifer Calf

​Have you heard me talk about Kiwi before? If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram you know the she is our little Lowline Jersey cross. She's a tiny little thing- definitely a mini! 

The story starts with our Lowline bull. We knew that Lowlines are on the smaller size. That is one of the reasons we like them. We thought it would be a perfect match for our small Jerseys. Lowlines are also supposed to be one of the best breeds for converting grass into meat. It takes them less grass to produce the same amount of meat that it would take another breed. Combine that with their known good temprement and you have a winner!

The issue was that our lowline bull, who did have a great tempremant, never got to his expected size. Shorty, that was our really clever name for him, was barely bigger than one of our sheep, who also are a small breed. My husband was sure that he wouldn't even be able to breed our cows. 

Well, he did, every single one of them! That gave us Kiwi and two bull calves that we turned into steers, that are also very small. These mini calves were not part of the plan so we sold Shorty and now have a Normandy bull. 

Now back to Kiwi. I've convinced my husband that we should keep her as our little mascot. She is the sweetest thing and I do really love her. Since she has been halter broke she has been hanging out in the farmyard. She is free to roam around the buildings and come visit us anytime. She also can go visit the milk cow and the bull up by the barn or visit all the other cows in the pasture near the bull barn. So she has lots of company from the cows and us. She will come to me when I call her and we visit her all through out the day as we do our chores, work in the gardens, and check on the green house. Once it gets cold she will go back to the barn but we will bring back to the farmyard come spring. 

Watch the video below to see how we halter break our animals and what a success it has been for us.
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Halter Breaking a Calf

​So what do you think? Isn't she the cutest and sweetest? We sure have had a lot of fun wih her! 

Do you have a different method that you use? Share your thouhgts and comments below.

Remember, if you have any questions I'm always here for you! Just leave a comment below or contact me here.

​Have a blessed day!

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