There are a lot of scammers stealing photos, setting up Facebook accounts (or hacking them) and then sharing pictures of mini Highlands for sale - be very aware of these accounts.
There are also some breeders inflating prices and selling standard animals as miniatures, so it's good to know what questions to ask.
If an animal is six months or older (from eight months is better), you can use the chart below to help estimate mature height.
If you are buying as pets, mature height, chondro status and breeding will not be as important as if you are buying to breed.
If you are buying to breed it's helpful to know mature height as this can dictate the height of any offspring. Chondro status is important when breeding for the reasons outlined here.
It is also important to ask where the cattle originated from. If you are buying from two different breeders who coincidentally bought from the same breeder then there's a chance you are buying mini cattle that are closely related.
If you have other cattle, knowing the TB status of the seller is important as well as asking if they test for BVD. Any animals you buy will need to be NAIT tagged and registered and you will need to be registered before you buy any cattle (you can register here).
It's also good to know their vaccination status and drenching routine so that you can keep up to date with parasite control and other animal health treatments.
If in doubt, please feel free to ask any questions in the Miniature Cattle Facebook Group. You can join here.
