Miniature cows, goats and donkeys and other mini animals are seeing a surge in popularity, according to animal breeders.
Sales of small farm animals have grown since the COVID-19 pandemic, breeders say, when more Americans started raising backyard chickens for fun and fresh eggs.
Mini farm animals appeal to beginners and hobby farmers who want a taste of a homestead lifestyle because they require less food and space.
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"A lot of people don't have access to several acres, but if they have a one-acre plot, they can keep a miniature cow or a few miniature goats," Brian Gazda told The Associated Press.
Gazda has a small farm in East Idaho and with two friends runs a YouTube channel called "Hobby Farm Guys."
Platforms like YouTube and especially TikTok have played an important part in raising the profile of mini farm animals, said Martin Fysh, a vice president and divisional merchandising manager for rural lifestyle retailer Tractor Supply Co.
TikTok videos of tiny blue-eyed goats and 2-foot-tall horses have received millions of views.
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But Fysh thinks the trend also reflects a natural progression among customers who started out with a backyard hen coop.
In response, Tractor Supply has increased its selection of treats for both mini and regular sized pigs, and goats.
"They're seen as part of the extended family, " Fysh said.
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Some owners of mini farm animals turn their hobbies into small businesses by giving visitor tours, breeding animals, and blogging about their pastoral experiences.
There are challenges to owning miniature animals, not least the volatile prices of the animals, and potential aggression from these tiny pets.
Mini goats are one of the most popular entry-level mini animals.
In the past year, animal breeders have registered roughly 8,330 mini goats with the Miniature Dairy Goat Association, a 73% jump from the 12 months before July 2021, said Angelia Alden, a business operations manager for the North Carolina-based organization.
Many mini goats are sold after just a few years because it can be challenging and expensive to take care of them, Alden said.
Owners are struggling with rising feed costs and a shortage of farm veterinarians, and having a miniature farm does not always go as expected.
Brittany Snow, 32, a high school English teacher in Florida, owns several small-sized Nigerian Dwarf goats.
After the pandemic she said her family wanted to be more self-sustaining.
Snow purchased the Nigerian Dwarf goats intending to milk them to make cheese and products like soap and lotion.
But that hasn't worked yet because goats only lactate after giving birth, and only recently has one of the goats had kids.
"The past few years have been a learning curve," Snow said.
Allie Sine, a TikTok creator with more than 737,000 followers on the platform launched her own business breeding and selling mini cows in 2020 after reselling a sick mini cow that cost $350 for $5,000.
Last year, the 28-year-old sold about 190 calves through her Missouri-based business, Mini Moos LLC.
The calves were roughly split between mini and micromini cows that can cost from $2,000 to $30,000.
"Everything just skyrocketed," 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 bred mini donkeys for about 20 years and currently own dozens of Mediterranean miniature donkeys, which stand 3 feet high or less.
Before the pandemic, they would typically sell about eight donkeys per year and count themselves lucky if they received a couple thousand dollars for one.
They now sell about 20 per year, with the last mini donkey selling for $7,500, Furches said.
There are some she's only willing to sell for $9,000 or more.
Many customers seek out mini animals as an "exotic" pets.
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 to a modern farmhouse with an acre of land after the pandemic made them rethink their lifestyle.
While Biscuit and Buttermilk keep the lawn trimmed, Jamie Campion said she considers the animals similar to a dog or a cat.
"They eat the grass, so we don't even have to buy food (for the sheep) on a weekly basis," Campion who discovered the breed on Instagram, told The Associated Press.
But it can be challenging.
One time, Jeff Campion tried to inject one of the sheep with oral medication to treat parasites, and it tore his bicep.
But more often, the sheep give her joy. Jamie Campion recalls taking them out on a snowy day for a walk in the neighborhood, without a leash.
"They just followed right behind," she said. "There's a whole sheep and shepherd relationship. "
Other owners see therapeutic benefits.
Lisa Moad, who is the owner of Seven Oaks Farm in Hamilton, Ohio and has 13 miniature horses and three regular size horses, operates a therapy farm for older people and others.
She also used to take the miniature horses to local nursing homes and hospitals.
But since the pandemic, she has spent most of her timing conducting online training for those looking to embrace the same mission.
That includes teaching horses how to maneuver around wheelchairs and into elevators in hospitals.
"They're docile, but they can get frightened easily, " she said. "You just can't walk into a hospital with a horse."
