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Miniature Zebu Cattle
Zebu cattle are known to be one of the oldest breeds of cattle, possibly dating back as far as 6000 B.C. They are found mostly in India and Africa, in areas of poor forage. In Southern India, which is one of the principal cattle-raising districts of all India, there exists cattle known as the "Nadudana" or small cattle. A few of these were imported in the 1920's for zoological gardens in the country. They are a natural miniature breed.
They are heat, bug and disease resistant and eat about 1/3 of what regular mature cattle need. The height standard is no more than 42” at the withers behind the hump- the bulls have a more pronounced hump- and they weigh between 300-600 lbs. They should not look like a dwarf, but look like perfectly porportioned small cattle.
Here in the United States, people raise them for show, youth 4-H, pets and hobby as an exotic breed. Older people and people with small farms find their size and temperment easier to handle. They weigh about 15 lbs. at birth, and are easy to halter break and tame.
Check out the American and International Miniature Zebu Associations at :
http://www.americanminiaturezebuassociation.org
http://www.miniature-zebu-cattle.com
Florida also has a miniature Zebu association to help members promote the breed-
http://www.fmza.com
We here at Renaissance Farm have just acquired 4 Foundation Pure AMZA registered Heifers- and we are looking forward expanding our herd.
Please feel free to respond to any of the
articles, and if you have news you wish to share, please email me at
pgoldberg@goldenimages-photo-scuba.com
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