Costs to consider:
1. Fencing (Miniatures are easy keepers.. a simple hot wire with enough food will keep them in)
Average cost: $200
2. Housing: A small Loafing shed works very well. Average cost: $300 (If you build yourself)
3. Feed bunks. Average cost: $150
4. Small water tank and tank heater. Average cost: $200
5. Vet Bills (shots, ect) I spend about $40 dollars per year per cow
6. Hoof Trimming (Hoofs will need to be trimmed unless the cows pasture on rough rocky land) You can
pay someone to trim (about $40 per cow per year), or buy an on the ground hoof trimmer for $65.
7. Feed: I feed my cows a mixture of horse quality grass/alfalfa hay, corn stalks, milo, and generic
stock feed. With current Hay prices in Colorado averaging around $300 per ton: each of my cows cost
around $40 to feed each month . This price would be considerably less with more pasture or cheaper
hay.
Time with your cow:
If you want your cow/bull to truly be a pet you will need to plan on spending at least 2 to 4 hours per
week with them.
Note: Cows are very social animals and do best with other cows/or animals. (I keep one of my bulls
with my pet wallaby, and another bull with three mini donkeys) If you are just keeping one cow with
nothing else, I would recommend spending at least 1 hour a day with him/her.