Welcome to Kingston's Mound Miniature Zebu. Thanks for visiting!
Please note: I only have miniature zebu as pets & family members - I do not breed and I do not sell any zebu. Please visit the International Miniature Zebu Association website to find a breeder near you.
Miniature Zebu are a naturally small breed of cattle. Registered Miniature Zebu must measure at or below 42" behind their hump in order to meet breed standards. Miniature Zebu come in a variety of colors and may be the perfect fit for you if you love cattle. Please note, though, that they require some special care and while some may be as friendly as dogs, they are not dogs, so be prepared to experience the behaviors that come with cattle if you are considering zebu as additions to your family.
Beyond this, all cattle are herd animals and you must plan to invite at least two miniature zebu to your home, just like you should with any herd animal (goats, sheep, horses, donkeys, etc.). This creates a healthy environment for your zebu and leads to good mental health, whereas forcing any herd animal to live in isolation or with unfit companion animals will cause a huge amount of mental health damage.
Kingston's Mound has welcomed a few calves, either through adoption into the family or birth right here on the farm, but we do not breed or sell miniature zebu. They are our pets and family members and will remain that way so that they can live out their lives in peace and contentment. The feeling of offering a peaceful life to my little herd of 7 never ceases to add something very special to my life and my perspective of the world.
If you're planning to add miniature zebu to your life as pets, please be aware that all miniature zebu have their own unique personality - no two will act exactly the same and some will be anti-human while some love attention. Be sure your zebu has a friendly disposition and has been handled often by their handlers if you're looking for a zebu that enjoys interaction with you. The best way to do this is to visit the zebu you are considering adding to your family, or get video from the breeder of your specific zebu interacting with people. If you don't do your homework here, you may end up with a zebu that doesn't like to be touched - which is fine if you enjoy taking care of them and watching them (they're beautiful), but not if you want to give them pets and attention.
I also had a calf born on the farm that enjoyed attention when he was young and now he won't tolerate it. I don't hold it against him, as I have my own set of personal preferences, too, and they have most definitely changed since I was a child. The bottle calf pictured below did the same thing! To guarantee friendliness, you may want to start out with an adult or at least adolescent, and be aware that your zebu's moods will change from day-to-day, just like a human. Some days my friendliest girl loves pets, and some days she avoids them. Plan to respect your new family's members' wishes and you'll be good to go!
Please check out the website for the International Miniature Zebu Association if you would like to learn more about these wonderful creatures and the community of people who love them!
IMZA Website: http://www.imza.name/
Origin of Kingston's Mound Namesake
In the 1800s when Kansas was just beginning to be settled, a trading post sat on top of a hill in the rolling prairies of Southeast Kansas. My many greats grandfather moved his deaf-mute son to Kansas to be a shepherd as opposed to working in the factories of Illinois. This man, my great great great grandfather, and his deaf-mute wife, lived their lives a few miles from Kingston's Mound on the Tipton farmstead, taking sheep to the local train depot and documenting weather patterns in the area for the government. They had two children with no hearing or speaking impairments, my great great grandfather and his sister. My great great grandfather went on to marry a woman of German origin, and they had a son and a daughter. W.I. Tipton, my great grandfather, had one son and one daughter. His daughter is my grandmother, a wonderful woman who had a great love for animals. From her, I believe I was given my great love for animals.
This woman, Zula, married Ronald, who loved adrenaline, adventure, and flying airplanes. He dreamed of building a house in the side of a hill, and he made that dream a reality in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Over a period of roughly 5 years, he and many friends built an underground house in the side of a hill - and it just happened to be the same hill that was once home to a little trading post in frontier America!
Now I, his granddaughter, live in this house on Kingston's Mound. With my love for creativity, animals, and learning and teaching, I have become a photographer, a college graduate, an elementary school teacher, and the owner of a small, hand-picked herd of Miniature Zebu Cattle! I'm living my dream, just as the members of my family have done for generations. I grew up wanting a cow of my own, and I finally have my own wonderful, manageable, sweet little bovine family members!
Scroll down to see photos of our small herd!
Meet Pookie, a little miniature zebu heifer whom I brought home from Tennessee in 2017! She doesn't have the typical zebu look because she was born on the far side of the pasture, unexpected, and on a freezing day. She was practically frozen when her caretaker found her - she was warmed up in the bathtub, she spent a couple of weeks as a "house cow," and the rest is history! BUT the tips of her ears and the tip of her tail did not survive, so she looks a bit different than normal. Enjoy her maternity photos from 2018 and scroll down to see her calf, Apollo :)
Xena and sweet Pookie have both had their calves now! Xena gave birth to the beautiful little heifer Kingston's Mound Calypso, and Pookie had a bull calf named Apollo just 2 days ago (August 2018)! I don't have any professional shots of Calypso yet, but here are some photos of Pookie, baby and I (and one of my rescue pups, Bill) from yesterday evening!
And now for the rest of the herd! Please note: Xena, Nova, Ava, Dahlia, and Ricky Knight now roam in other pastures.
Current herd members are: Pookie, Bo, Otto, Calypso, Apollo, Cupid, and Indy.
{ Little Bo and Otto, our jet-black, sweetie-pie steer }
{ Otto, Pookie, and Bo }
{ Bo is our sweetest little bovine! }
{ This is Xena, our beautiful brindle mama (has since moved to Wisconsin), pictured with her little spotted heifer calf Nova, and Otto }
{ Nova, our adorable and tiny spotted heifer calf, posing for a photo! }
{ Xena says it's bath time, but Nova's not so sure about that! }
{ These little creatures will warm your heart and make you laugh often - they're beautiful and quirky, and everything I could have hoped for! }
Thank you so much for visiting! Please use the "Contact" section of this website to contact me with any inquiries or questions. The Miniature Zebu community would love to welcome you as a fellow owner and lover of these miniature cattle!
Hmmm . . . wouldn't it be perfect if there were a children's book about these sweet little cows? You're in luck! I've written Zara the Zebu, a story about a girl and her brand new zebu calf. If you know zebu, you know it can take a bit of time and a whole lot of patience to reach "friend" status. If you're interested in a copy of Zara the Zebu, please check the "Adelaide Bauman" tab on this website.
