FAQs

What are Milking Devons?

Milking Devons are a breed of cattle that originate from the southwest of England - that peninsula that makes up the counties of Devon & Cornwall at the bottom where Richard & I spent our "growing up" years :) They are what is known as a "Tri-Purpose" Breed - they produce high quality beef and milk plus, when trained, make good oxen. Apparently the pilgrims brought these with them in 1623 so they are one of the oldest breeds imported into the USA! Wow! They were also what folks used on the Oregon Trail so they really are involved in the history of the USA.

Herd books for this great breed have been published since 1855 but as with so many rare breeds they really lost popularity in the mid 1900's when commercial farming really took a hold here. In fact the Milking Devons went down in numbers in the 1800's being replaced by the Shorthorn which was more productive. By this time most of the remaining Milking Devons could only be found in New England due to their hardiness & ability to survive in that climate. By 1970 their numbers were dangerously low & is in fact, one of the breeds that inspired the creation of the ALBC.

 

Is there a difference between Milking Devons & Devons?

Yes! At one point breeders begain selecting the cattle to breed for their beef qualities thereby eliminating the milking qualities. This "new" breed was called hte Devon or Beef Devon. Thankfully some breeders continued to select for all qualities & so the Milking Devons continued to survive. There are now 2 registries. The cattle we have here & will continue to breed are the Milking Devons. They are all registered with the American Milking Devon Cattle Association. Our whole aim is to preserve this breed as it was first intended - tri-purpose.

 

What markings characterize the Milking Devons?

The Milking Devons have been described as ruby red, but we would describe their color as "red chocolate" :) Their coats are a very deep color - very pretty. They are naturally horned. The horns are white with black tips. They have pink noses & white hair on the end of their tails.

 

How much do they weigh?

A mature cow weighs around 1000lbs & a mature bull 1500 - 1800lbs.

 

Do you dehorn?

No, we do not. We are doing our best to raise these cattle as they used to be hundreds of years ago. Their horns are sharp but part of what makes them look so distinctive. Removing the horns detracts from the "look" of these cattle. 

 

Prices?

The prices below are not set in concrete but are here to just give you an idea. When we list a Milking Devon on the website the price there will be the correct one.

• 9 -10 month weaned registered heifer calf - $1800
• 9 -10 month weaned registered bull calf - $1000
• Bred registered heifer - $2500
• Bred registered cow - $3500

Some folks like to raise a calf from a young age so that they can bond with it & train it the way they want to. We will sell young calves but not until they are 4 weeks old & thriving and only if you have a cow in milk to graft it on to. These cattle need real milk to grow well and should stay on their mothers or adoptive mothers until 9 to 10 mths old. If you are interested in this option please make sure you contact us early to reserve your calf. You are not going to save much money as it doesn't cost us much more to have the calf on the cow for 9 months. A 1 month old registered heifer calf is $1200, a registered 1 month old bull calf is $500.

 

Can we come to the farm?

Absolutely! Cornish Heritage Ventures is a place to learn, laugh & linger :) We love to have folks visit that are truly interested in raising the heritage breeds that we have here on the farm. Please call ahead to arrange your visit. Life here is busy not only with the animals but young children. 

When you come to the farm we do have a few rules that you MUST abide by:

• Please call or email to arrange a time. We are a busy homeschooling, farming family so we need to be ready for your visit. However we are here most days so can be very flexible.
  
• Please do NOT come if you are sick. Neither us, the kids OR the animals want your germs.
• If you have children please educate them beforehand that some of our animals are large & that they must never go wandering off into the pastures by themselves. Yes, our kids are going to take them outside to play but they are instructed not to go into the pastures with visitors unless we are there.
  
• Do not bring your own farm boots. We will provide you with extra pairs that we have here on the farm to use whilst here. The reason for this is bio-security. We do not operate a closed herd BUT neither do we want to bring in unnecessary germs from another farm/area. We, and I'm sure you will agree, do not want our animals to get sick.
• We rarely allow any visitors on a Sunday. Sunday is our family day - the one day where we truly relax & refresh after a busy week. If that is truly the only day you can make it then we will make an exception once in a while :)
  

The above may sound really "over the top" to you but really it is not. We want our home & farm here in Missouri to be a warm & welcoming place. Hey, if you've got time we'll even share a meal with you. There is always some home grown meat in the freezer & we love to cook so if you do have time, come join us for some homecooked "grub", relaxtion & education! OH what hardship :)

Will you have stock for sale in 2012?

We are hoping to have 7 Milking Devon calves born here in 2012 so some of those, if all good in conformation etc, will be available for sale towards the end of the year once they are weaned.

Why did you choose Milking Devons?

We wanted a breed that was different! We wanted a breed that would keep its value not matter what the "regular" cattle market does. Most of all though we wanted a breed that was hardycould be raised on grass only & produced both good quality beef & milk. We do not buy meat from the grocery store. All the meat that we eat here (and we eat a lot!) is grown here. We do not purchase milk from the grocery store either having milked our own cow for several years. The Milking Devons fulfil all those requirements. 

Do you feed grain?

Only as a bribe! LOL! If we want the cattle up for a reason to loosen chains etc then yes we "bribe" them with some grain but that is a rarity rather than a daily occurence. We chose the herd we bought for that very reason. They were thriving on grass alone & that is what we were looking for. Many of the dairies feed grain to up production which is fine, but not what we desired. Our aim is to get away from grain dependence altogether here on the farm by milking the cows to feed the pigs. That way the cows should pay for their hay quite easily :) 

More questions? 

Please feel free to ask more questions. The more you ask the more we can put on this page to really help fellow & new breeders.