Jersey



 Originated from Jersey Island, U.K.
 Smallest of the dairy types of cattle.
 In India this breed has accliamatized well and is widely used in cross breeding with indigenous cows.
 The typical colour of Jersey cattle is reddish fawn.
 Dished forehead; compact and angular body.
 Economical producers of milk with 4.5% fat.
 Average milk yield is 4500 kgs per lactation.


The Jersey is a British breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the British Channel Islands. It is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney – now extinct – and the Guernsey.
Origin: Jersey
Use: dairy; draught
Scientific name: Bostaurustaurus
Coat: variable
Distribution: world-wide
Mass: Male: 540 – 820 kg (Adult), Female: 400 – 500 kg (Adult)
General Characteristics:

It is typically light brown in colour, though this can range from being almost grey to dull black, which is known as Mulberry.



 Body type of Jerseys look to be more finer-boned and bodied than most any beef breed or even Holsteins. Just like Holsteins, though, Jerseys are quite angular in body type because they are selected to be a milk-producer and not a beef-producer.
 Head of Jersey cows are very feminine looking animals, with a finer, more feminine head than Hereford or Angus cows, with a similar head-shape (though a little less robust) as Shorthorn cows do. Jerseys are a naturally horned breed, though there are genetics for polled cattle as well.
 They can also have white patches which may cover much of the animal. A true Jersey will however always have a black nose bordered by an almost white muzzle


• The Jersey hard black feet are much less prone to lameness. Jerseys produces a pound of milk components at a lower cost compared to the other major breeds.
• Jerseys stay in the herd longer than any other dairy breed.
• Jerseys are well-known to be less susceptible to lameness because of their black hoof colour which makes their hooves very hard. Because Jerseys are a lighter breed this may also give them less problems with lameness.
• Good Temperament is important in a dairy cow. In today's modern parlours rapid throughput is of top priority. An animal misbehaving by continually kicking, off the units will cause unwanted delays and even damage to the expensive equipment.
• Jerseys are thought to have the one of the best temperaments among, the dairy breeds, although a lot of this depends on the handling the animals receive.
About Jersey cow milk:

• Jersey milk has greater nutritional value, plus the highest yield and greater efficiency when processed into cheese and other value-added products. • Jersey milk is in many ways unique. As a product it contains:- 18% more protein, 20% more calcium, 25% more butterfat than "average" milk. • Jersey milk is remarkably rich in butterfat, and for that reason animals of this breed are in demand for crossing with nativestock to improve the butterfatpercentage in milk.

Characteristics of Jersey Cow:

• Jersey breed is very adaptable to different environments and geographic conditions.
• She has little or no calving problems, greater fertility, a shorter calving interval, and earlier maturity.
• The cows of this breed are well known for their grazing capabilities.
• Cows of Jersey breed can tolerate more heat when compared to cows of other breeds.
• On an average, the weight of Jersey cow is 400 to 440 kgs and this breed produced more amount of milk calculated for each pound of the body weight.
• They produce 13 times greater milk than the weight of their body.
• Most of the cows of this breed are light brown in colour, whereas some are grey.
• This breed of cows is less prone to lameness as they have black feet which are also very hard.

Advantages of Jersey Cow:

• Unlike other major breeds, Jerseys produce major milk components on a lower budget.
• These cows have minute calving problems. In a few cases, there would be zero calving problems. Even the interval of calving for Jerseys is also small.
• The fertility of Jerseys is greater when compared to other breeds and they also have very good efficiency.
• The price of the Jersey milk in the market is also high as it is considered to be the premium milk.
• The Jerseys are well known for their efficiency of high feed conversion
• The milk of the Jerseys has 17% more protein, 19% more calcium and 26% more butterfat than the milk of other major breeds.