Why get a zebu?

How about adorable yard pets or ornaments?

As "living art" they are not destructive, noisy, and are normally very gentle.

How about for showing or FFA projects for kids?

This is a great project not only for us adults, but for the kids as well. AMZA has a Youth Program and has special shows for the kids. This size bovine is so much easier to handle and show than the larger counterparts. Showing is very easy.
Wash, brush, show. That's it

How about an agriculture tax exemptions?

Do you have an ag exemption for your livestock. With these, you are not putting all your money in feeding them.
You can still get meat and milk production with much less expense.

How about fresh milk?

I have personally milked one of my cows. They can give up to a gallon a day, which is plenty for the normal size family.

Here is one breeder's goal and some links to articles to back it up.

"To date I have sold 8 heifers for family milk cows over the years, two to one farm and several to a Hindu Monastery. All have sworn by the quality of milk, high butterfat and smooth texture. I was also told they had a very low somatic cell count which is also important." (by David Millison, president of AMZA)

I like milk with lots of cream. Zebu milk is supposed to have a higher percent of butterfat than the milk produced in the US.
They (Zebu) probably produce A2 milk but I would want to confirm that by testing. My goal is to have farm fresh milk for my family. It is also a research project.

Read this article about the A1 and A2 milk, which cannot be tested in this country as of 12/1/11
Article-click here

Click here for the text to link below   click the link to get online
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/devil_in_the_milk :paperback

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http://thebovine.wordpress.com/

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1) Raw Milk, Mother Nature's Inconvenient Truth by Mark McAfee, Organic Pastures Dairy: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20080515/n1

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2) Raw Milk Wars, Government's Attempt to Dictate What Foods We Can Consume,
David G. Cox, Attorney at Law, Lane, Alton & Horst LLC:
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20080612/nf1

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3) Raw Milk, A Microbiology Primer, Dr. Mark Gebhart, MD, Wright State University http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20080717/n1

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4) A Risk Assessor Takes a Look at Raw Milk, Dr. Don Schaffner,
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20080911/n1

How about home grown meat?

Some families have steered one of the bulls for the freezer. One steer will fill a normal family freezer and you do not have to purchase a quarter beef from the market, and probably have so much meat that it gets freezer burn before it is eaten.

A quote from MSN:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid452319854/bctid1716487854

The Link is to a video clip from NPR
Here is some of the text:
This morning, National Public Radio here in Seattle reported on the small but growing trend of raising miniature, hip-high cattle. The report claimed, among other things, that small-farm financial pressures are creating a demand for the pint-sized cattle, since the animals more efficiently convert feed into meat: they carry half the weight of a normal-sized cow yet eat only a third as much as their full-sized brethren, and a larger percentage of their body mass is convertible to steaks and roasts due to lower fat content and bone mass. You typically get 60% of the live weight from a mini to only 50% of a traditional cow.  It costs about $640 a year to raise a mini compared to  over $1300 for a full size cow.

How about working draft animals?

In India, Africa, and other countries where predators are a problem, and land is at a premium, they use these cows to plow, pull carts, haul goods to markets and many other useful ways.  I am not sure most of us would not do those things, but they an be trained to pull a cart with several adults riding.

How about for transportation?

As mentioned, they can be trained to harness and pull carts.

Some people sell the bulls for teaching kids to bull ride for the Jr. Rodeos.

Bottle feeding can be fun!
(Taken at Crooked Star Ranch)

Above is the most common  color. Below are some colorful zebus

Above is a photo of Diamonds first heifer calf, Wichita
and her mother, named Poppy .

They come in a variety of colors
Thanks Dana Denning for the photo of
Blueberry's heifer.