There is a growing demand for mini farm animals.

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NEW YORK — Americans are showing more interest in owning cows, goats, donkeys and other tiny farm animals, a trend driven by hobby farmers looking for easy-to-handle livestock and owners who like the idea of ​​keeping a small pig or a pint-sized sheep as a pet.

Animal breeders say sales of miniature farm animals have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, when more people began raising backyard chickens for fun and fresh eggs. Like chickens, miniature farm animals appeal to beginners who want to try out the rugged, agrarian lifestyle.

“A lot of people don’t have access to multiple acres, but if they have a one-acre plot, they can have a miniature cow or a few miniature goats,” said Brian Gazda, who has a small farm in eastern Idaho and with two friends runs a YouTube channel called “Hobby Farm Guys.”

Platforms like YouTube and especially TikTok have played a major role in raising the profile of miniature farm animals, said Martin Fysh, vice president and divisional merchandising manager at rural lifestyle retailer Tractor Supply Co. On any given day, TikTok users put on a parade of cuteness with videos of tiny, blue-eyed goats and 2-foot-tall horses that have received millions of views.

But Fysh believes the trend also reflects a natural progression among customers who started out with a backyard chicken coop. In response, Tractor Supply has expanded its selection of treats for small and regular-sized pigs and goats.

“They are considered part of an extended family,” Fysh said.

While some people buy small farm animals as a stepping stone to larger animals, others don’t have the desire to expand. Some miniature farm animal owners turn their hobbies into secondary incomes by offering guided tours, raising animals, and blogging about their pastoral experiences.

But before playing Old Macdonald, newcomers should weigh the pros and cons, Gazda and other hobby farmers said.

Among the challenges is the volatile nature of prices for each type of miniature farm animal. And while they are adorable, they can also be aggressive.

Mini goats

Brittany Snow, a high school English teacher in Florida, has several small Nigerian Dwarf goats. She fulfilled her dream of living on a farm three years ago when her family moved from Middleburg, a suburb of Jacksonville, to nearby Melrose.

She said her family wanted to be more self-sufficient after the pandemic and now sources their own dairy products, such as milk and eggs. They mostly keep miniature animals because they are easier to care for and cost less to acquire and feed.

Snow, 32, started with four Nigerian Dwarf goats: Buttercup, Snowflake, Cash and Peanut. The herd has since expanded to include Pancake and Oreo, Peanut and Buttercup’s offspring.

Snow bought the Nigerian dwarf goats with the intention of milking them to make cheese and products like soap and lotion. But that hasn’t worked out yet because goats only lactate after giving birth, and Buttercup only recently had her babies.

“The last few years have been a learning curve,” Snow said.

Dwarf goats are one of the most popular dwarf animals for beginners. Last year, animal breeders registered about 8,330 dwarf goats with the Miniature Dairy Goat Association. That’s a 73% increase from the 12 months leading up to July 2021, when registrations — primarily of newborn females sought by breeders — totaled just under 4,800, said Angelia Alden, business operations manager for the North Carolina-based organization.

However, many people who prefer pygmy goats tend to sell them after a few years because they can be complicated (and expensive) to care for, Alden said. Rising animal feed costs can be a headache, as can finding adequate medical care due to a shortage of veterinarians on farms.

Mini cows and donkeys

A farm animal can be both small and large. Some of the four-legged stars on social media are furry cows that can weigh between 500 and 600 pounds. The smallest, less than a metre tall, are known as microminiatures. The slightly larger miniatures can measure up to 42 inches, according to Allie Sine, a TikTok creator with more than 737,000 followers on the platform. Videos featuring some of her miniature cows have garnered millions of views.

Sine, 28, launched her own mini cow breeding and sales business 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 micro-mini cows that can cost between $2,000 and $30,000.

“Everything just took off,” Sine said.

Others report a similar boom.

Kim Furches, who owns a farm with her husband, Ken, in West Jefferson, North Carolina, said the couple has raised miniature donkeys for about 20 years and currently owns dozens of the Mediterranean miniature donkeys, which stand 3 feet tall or less.

Before the pandemic, they used to sell about eight donkeys a year and considered themselves lucky if they got a couple thousand dollars for one. Now they sell about 20 a year. The last miniature donkey sold for $7,500, Furches said. There are some she is only willing to sell for $9,000 or more.

New types of ‘exotic’ pets

While some of her clients also plan to breed and sell miniature animals, many say they are only looking for “exotic” pets, Gazda said.

Earlier this year, Jamie Campion, 41, and her husband, Jeff, bought two Southdown Babydoll sheep from a local breeder near their home in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee, for $800 each. The couple moved from Chicago in March 2022 after the pandemic caused them to rethink their lifestyle. They now live in a modern-style farmhouse built on a one-acre lot.

While Biscuit and Buttermilk have become excellent lawnmowers, Jamie Campion said she considers the animals, which weigh about 70 pounds and stand 20 inches tall, to be similar to a dog or cat.

“They eat grass, so we don’t even have to buy feed (for the sheep) on a weekly basis,” said Campion, who discovered the breed on Instagram.

But it can be a challenge.

Jeff Campion once tried to inject a sheep with an oral medication to treat parasites and tore his bicep.

But more often than not, the sheep bring her joy. Jamie Campion remembers taking them out for a walk around the neighborhood on a snowy day, off-leash.

“They just followed me,” he said. “There is a complete relationship between sheep and shepherd.”

Miniature animals offer therapy

Others see therapeutic benefits.

Lisa Moad, owner of Seven Oaks Farm in Hamilton, Ohio, has 13 miniature horses and three full-size horses and runs a therapy farm for seniors and others. She also used to take the miniature horses to local nursing homes and hospitals, but since the pandemic has devoted most of her time to conducting online trainings for those looking to take up the same mission.

That includes teaching the horses to maneuver in wheelchairs and hospital elevators. He said his miniature versions still weigh between 170 and 200 pounds, though much less than his regular horses, which weigh between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds.

“They are docile, but they get scared easily,” he said. “You can’t go into a hospital with a horse.”