{"id":253626,"date":"2024-08-12T20:27:11","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T20:27:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/12\/theres-a-growing-demand-for-mini-farm-animals-as-pets\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:12:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:12:31","slug":"theres-a-growing-demand-for-mini-farm-animals-as-pets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/12\/theres-a-growing-demand-for-mini-farm-animals-as-pets\/","title":{"rendered":"There’s a growing demand for mini farm animals as pets"},"content":{"rendered":"

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NEW YORK \u2014 They\u2019re adorable. They require less food and space. And without much coaxing, they might help cut the grass.<\/p>\n

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Americans are showing more interest in owning miniature cows, goats, donkeys and other diminutive farm animals, a trend driven by hobby farmers looking for easy-to-manage livestock and homesteaders who like the idea of having a petite pig or a scaled-down sheep as a pet.<\/p>\n

Animal breeders say sales of pint-sized farm animals have grown since the COVID-19 pandemic, when more people started\u00a0raising backyard chickens<\/a>\u00a0for fun and fresh eggs. Like chickens, mini farm animals appeal to beginners who want the taste of a rugged, agrarian lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people don\u2019t have access to several acres, but if they have a one-acre plot, they can keep a miniature cow or a few miniature goats,\u201d said Brian Gazda, who has a small farm in East Idaho and with two friends runs a YouTube<\/a> channel called \u201cHobby Farm Guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Platforms like YouTube and especially TikTok have played an important part in raising the profile of mini farm animals, said Martin Fysh, a vice president and divisional merchandising manager for rural lifestyle retailer Tractor Supply<\/a> Co. On any given day, TikTok users put cuteness on parade with videos of tiny blue-eyed goats and 2-foot-tall horses that have received millions of views.<\/p>\n

But Fysh thinks the trend also reflects a natural progression among customers who started out with a backyard hen coop. In response, Tractor Supply has increased its selection of treats for both mini and regular sized pigs, and goats.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re seen as part of the extended family, \u201d Fysh said.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

AP Photo\u2014Emilee Chinn<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While some people buy small farm animals as a stepping stone to owning larger ones, others don\u2019t have a desire to expand. Some owners of mini farm animals turn their hobbies into side hustles by giving visitor tours, breeding animals, and blogging about their pastoral experiences.<\/p>\n

But before playing Old Macdonald, newcomers need to weigh the pros and cons, Gazda and other hobby farmers said.<\/p>\n

Among the challenges: the volatile nature of prices for each of the types of miniature farm animals. And while they\u2019re cute, they can also be aggressive.<\/p>\n

Mini goats<\/h4>\n

Brittany Snow, a high school English teacher in Florida, owns several small-sized Nigerian Dwarf goats. She realized her dream of living on a farm three years ago when her family moved from the Jacksonville suburb of Middleburg to nearby Melrose.<\/p>\n

She said her family wanted to be more self-sustaining after the pandemic and now sources its own dairy products, such as milk and eggs. She sticks mostly with miniature animals because they\u2019re easier to take care of and cost less to acquire and feed.<\/p>\n

Snow, 32, started with four Nigerian Dwarf goats: Buttercup, Snowflake, Cash and Peanut. The herd has since expanded to include Pancake and Oreo, the kids of Peanut and Buttercup.<\/p>\n

Snow purchased the Nigerian Dwarf goats intending to milk them to make cheese and products like soap and lotion. But that hasn\u2019t worked yet because goats only lactate after giving birth, and Buttercup only recently had her kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe past few years have been a learning curve,\u201d Snow said.<\/p>\n

Mini goats are one of the most popular entry-level mini animals. In the past year, animal breeders have registered roughly 8,330 mini goats with the Miniature Dairy Goat Association. That\u2019s a 73% jump from the 12 months before July 2021, when registrations \u2014 mostly for newborn females sought after by breeders \u2014 totaled just under 4,800, said Angelia Alden, a business operations manager for the North Carolina-based organization.<\/p>\n

Many folks who favor mini goats, however, tend to sell them after a few years because it can be challenging \u2014 and expensive \u2014 to take care of them, Alden said. Rising animal feed costs can be a headache, as is finding adequate medical care due to a shortage of farm veterinarians.<\/p>\n

Mini cows and donkeys<\/h4>\n

A farm animal can be both mini and mighty. Some of the four-legged stars on social media are furry cows that can weigh 500-600 pounds. The smallest, which stand under 3 feet in height, are known as micro-miniatures. The slightly bigger miniatures can be as tall as 42 inches, according to Allie Sine, a TikTok creator with more than 737,000 followers on the platform. Videos showcasing some of her mini cows have gotten millions of views.<\/p>\n

\"A
Lisa Moad, owner of Seven Oaks Farm, pets her miniature horse and miniature donkey on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Hamilton, Ohio.<\/figcaption>

AP Photo\u2014Emilee Chinn<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sine, 28, launched her own business breeding and selling mini cows in 2020 after reselling a sick mini cow that cost $350 for $5,000. Last year, she sold about 190 calves through her Missouri-based business, Mini Moos LLC. The calves were roughly split between mini and micromini cows that can cost from $2,000 to $30,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything just skyrocketed,\u201d Sine said.<\/p>\n

Others report a similar boom.<\/p>\n

Kim Furches, who owns a farm with her husband, Ken, in West Jefferson, North Carolina, said the couple bred mini donkeys for about 20 years and currently own dozens of Mediterranean miniature donkeys, which stand 3 feet high or less.<\/p>\n

Before the pandemic, they would typically sell about eight donkeys per year and count themselves lucky if they received a couple thousand dollars for one. They now sell about 20 per year. The last mini donkey sold for $7,500, Furches said. There are some she\u2019s only willing to sell for $9,000 or more.<\/p>\n

New types of \u2018exotic\u2019 pets<\/h4>\n

Though some of their customers plan to breed and sell mini animals, too, many say many are just looking for \u201cexotic\u201d pets, Gazda said.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Jamie Campion, 41, and her husband, Jeff, bought two Southdown Babydoll sheep from a local breeder near their home in Thompson\u2019s Station, Tennessee, for $800 each. The couple moved from Chicago in March 2022 after the pandemic made them rethink their lifestyle. They now live in a modern-style farmhouse built on an acre of land.<\/p>\n

\"Owners
Jeff and Jamie Campion pose with their Southdown Babydoll sheep Buttermilk and Biscuit in their backyard Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Thompson Station, Tenn.<\/figcaption>

AP Photo\u2014George Walker IV<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While Biscuit and Buttermilk have become excellent lawn trimmers, Jamie Campion said she considers the animals \u2014 which weigh about 70 pounds and stand 20 inches high \u2014 similar to a dog or a cat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey eat the grass, so we don\u2019t even have to buy food (for the sheep) on a weekly basis,\u201d said Campion who discovered the breed on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But it can be challenging.<\/p>\n

One time, Jeff Campion tried to inject one of sheep with oral medication to treat parasites, and it tore his bicep.<\/p>\n

But more often, the sheep give her joy. Jamie Campion recalls taking them out on a snowy day for a walk in the neighborhood, without a leash.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just followed right behind,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s a whole sheep and shepherd relationship. \u201c<\/p>\n

Miniature animals offer therapy<\/h4>\n

Others see therapeutic benefits.<\/p>\n

Lisa Moad, who is the owner of Seven Oaks Farm in Hamilton, Ohio and has 13 miniature horses and three regular size horses, operates a therapy farm for older people and others. She also used to take the miniature horses to local nursing homes and hospitals. But since the pandemic, she has spent most of her timing conducting online training for those looking to embrace the same mission.<\/p>\n

\"A
Lisa Moad, owner of Seven Oaks Farm, feeds one of her miniature horses an apple in her kitchen on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Hamilton, Ohio.<\/figcaption>

AP Photo\u2014Emilee Chinn<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

That includes teaching horses how to maneuver around wheelchairs and into elevators of hospitals. She said her miniature versions still weigh 175 to 200 pounds, though much less than her regular horses, which range from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re docile, but they can get frightened easily, \u201d she said. \u201cYou just can\u2019t walk into a hospital with a horse.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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