The dream of every farmer to have animals that will be profitable, and the care and maintenance were easy and profitable. It’s enough to buy Jersey cows. Although some people believe that in Russian climates they do not live up to expectations, they can still be kept due to good milk fat content.
The history of the Jersey breed of cows
Dairy Jersey breed appeared by crossing three breeds. Since the climate allowed cows to graze in green meadows with lush grass, they developed well and quickly gained weight.
Jersey cows were crossed with black-mottled bulls, as a result, calves with lower body weight and lower milk yield were obtained, but the milk fat content increased. In former times, frequent farming enterprises began to show interest in Jersey cows, but due to the high cost of the cow itself and the minimum yield of meat, there were only a few of them left.
The yield of oil from their milk was great, because it has a high fat content. In order to avoid crossbreeding, in 1789 it was forbidden to import any cows to the island of Jersey. The breed was entered in the pedigree book in 1866, where there was information about its productivity. Already 6 years after this, she was glorified in business communities.
Cows were called Jersey because of their birthplace; they appeared on the island of Jersey between France and England.
Such a breed is expensive. In 1947, animals were brought from Denmark to the following areas:
- Moscow;
- Novgorod;
- Leningrad;
- Ryazan.
Description and appearance of Jersey cows
Since the Jersey dairy cows, they do not look massive either. You can distinguish this breed from other dairy by the following criteria:
- the body is long proportional;
- short stature (at the withers of 120 centimeters);
- the weight of an adult cow reaches 450 kilograms;
- the head is small light, the forehead is narrow;
- facial bone short, concave profile;
- the neck is thin with a large number of folds;
- the body is flat, slanting ribs, the back is concave;
- the tail is raised, the back is not set correctly;
- deep but narrow chest;
- large udder, similar to a bowl.
One of the important characteristics of the Jersey breed is the color of the animal. The colors of such cows can be:
- redhead;
- light brown;
- dark brown.
In some cows, the limbs and lower part are covered with white spots. Bulls have a darker head, legs, and neck. Around the dark nose there is white hair, the same as in the ears inside.
Animals are playful, curious and kind, but they are hard to get used to the new owners, so it is advisable to acquire when they are still small.
How popular are Jersey cows in Russia?
In Russia, this breed of cows was introduced in small quantities in the 19th century, but soon there was no trace of it. In Russia, the milk of these cows is often used to create dairy products, such as:
- fermented baked milk;
- kefir;
- cottage cheese;
- yogurt.
Also, high fat content of dairy products allows you to make the most delicious cheeses, butter, cream and sour cream. Today, the breed is famous only in the Moscow region, in other regions of Russia they are quite rare, and then in private agricultural factories.
The conditions of feeding and keeping in Russia are suitable for both home keeping and large farming. As it turned out, the milk yield is not high, this breed is not suitable for people who want to sell as much cheap milk as possible. Such cows should be started by breeders who sell good expensive milk to regular customers or make dairy or sour-milk products from it.
Care and maintenance
On the island of Jersey, where the animals came from, it is always quiet, the cows are used to it and in other noisy places they get scared because they are not used to the noise. Therefore, it is important not to create noise and fuss near the cows.
Care
Jersey cows graze calmly from morning to evening on any pasture, not gluttonous. Farmers are satisfied that cattle do not trample everything around them and eat any grass that will be nearby. Cows are offered hay, feed, and vegetables as complementary foods.
The cowshed should always be clean, dry and it is important that it is free of drafts. Also, the room must be often ventilated. In winter, hay, feed, vegetables and water should always be present in the stall.
It is important to contact your veterinarian in a timely manner and do all the necessary vaccinations.
Cows are slightly shy, so keep them recommended away from noisy factories, trains and the airport. Jersean cows are rarely crossed with other breeds, as they react poorly to “non-relatives”.
In the conditions of keeping the cows are profitable, because an ordinary barn is enough for them, where there will be ventilation and normal lighting. In winter, it must be heated so that the animals do not freeze, and naturally, the barn should always be clean and dry. Since the size of the cows is not large, one cow can accommodate more cows, this will also save space.
Feeding
Cows are not gluttonous, do not trample pastures, content with the amount of grass that is in front of them. Due to its small build and short stature, cows need less extra feed than other dairy cows, which saves on feeding.
On the island, cows were fed with seaweed, and the land itself in those parts is saturated with trace elements contained in water. Useful substances during a storm wash the coast and for many millennia, all the land around the ocean has absorbed them.
Productivity directly depends on the quality of feeding. The average milk yield of 4000 liters can increase to 11000 liters, if you add a large amount of protein to the diet.
Jersey breed should be fed:
- hay;
- silo;
- straw;
- potatoes
- rutabaga;
- beetroot.
Compound feed is fed, depending on the amount of milk - 300 g per 1 liter. Hay should be a lot, 16 kg per day per head. In the barn, lump salt should be decomposed to make up for the missing micronutrients.
Disease
If animals are properly fed and cared for, then strong immunity will resist disease. Since cows are light in weight and have strong hooves, diseases of the lower extremities are absent in comparison with other large breeds.
If improperly maintained and the sanitary conditions are not maintained, cows can become ill with any disease that is inherent in cattle.
In order to grow a strong and healthy animal, the farmer must take full responsibility and feed, care and maintain in accordance with all the rules.
Breeding
The reproductivity of the Jersey breed is high, because from the age of two they can give birth to calves. Calving is very easy, no help from a person or veterinarian is required. But calves are born small and defenseless, because their birth weight does not exceed 22 kilograms. The first weeks they need proper supervision and care.
Immediately after giving birth, the calf must be laid near the mother's face so that she licks it with her tongue, but if she is very weak and did not do this, then the baby should be wiped with straw. After 20 minutes, the calf is wrapped in a warm blanket and carried away briefly to another place, giving the burenka an opportunity to recover.
Jersey cows have little colostrum, so it is imperative that the calf sucked it in the first hour of its life. If the baby is strong, then he will master about 1.5 liters of colostrum.
As soon as the burenka departs from childbirth, she should be offered warm water and hay, from this moment the number of milk yield depends on the quality and quantity of milk in the future.
- the first 4 days after birth it is necessary to milk 5 times a day;
- then 8 days the cow is milked 4 times a day;
- after, three times a day and gradually reduce the number of milking to 2 times a day.
At first, after giving birth, the cow should be fed only with mixed feed, then nitrates should be added a little. And after 3 weeks, you can add the usual vegetables (potatoes, beets) and other foods to the diet. Drinking is offered twice a day, but if the udder is very swollen, but the amount of liquid should be reduced.
Productivity
The productivity of Jersey cows is not very high, and any farmer will envy 8% milk fat. Due to the small build of the cows, they have not enough milk, but not more than some other dairy breeds and it has a pleasant smell and delicate taste. Balls filled with fat quickly dissolve, and a lot of cream is formed in the milk.
In one year, one burenka can produce about 4 thousand liters of milk, and with proper nutrition, these figures will double, sometimes these figures can reach 11 thousand liters per year. The minimum fat content of milk can be 5%, which has a positive effect on all dairy products made from Jersey cow's milk.
Since cows do not have large massive sizes, their main trump card is milk, and they give very little meat.
Care and feeding of Jersey calves
It is important to water the calf, which has just been born, with milk, and in such quantity as he wants. The longer the calf stays on the choke, the stronger and healthier it will be.
During the first week, the baby can drink about 3 liters of milk at a time, this is with three meals a day. Between meals, calves need to be offered slightly salted water in the amount of one liter twice a day.
The immunity of a newborn calf is very weak, so immediately after childbirth and until one month of age, it should be kept warm until it is strong.
Weekly baby should be fed with clean hay, sprinkled with chalk. At the age of one month, you need to start feeding with pure vegetables (potatoes, beets). Next, mixed feed is added to the diet, and the number of vegetables is increased. From the age of two months, milk is diluted with water.
Starting from 2 months, a strengthened digestive system is able to digest any food, so hay are not spared, it is advisable to add red clay to the diet (it is very useful for both babies and adult cows). As for water, you can’t give it much, 3 liters three times a day is enough.
In the first months, when the calf grazes in the pasture, he should limit the amount of water, you can give a maximum of 3 liters at a time, in order to avoid digestive tract problems.
Read more about feeding calves from birth.
Advantages and disadvantages
Reviews of Jersey breeds are often positive. Among the advantages are noted:
- High fat milk production. High-fat milk is much more expensive than regular milk, so if the yields of Jersey cows are slightly less than others, then high-fat milk pays for it. There is also a lot of calcium and protein in milk, not to mention fats. If the farm produces high-fat oils, the benefits are even greater.
- Do not require much space. Since the size of the cows is compact, they do not take up much space, and more animals can be placed in one barn.
- Saving on nutrition. Since the physique is not good, cows do not eat much feed. In the summer, this is not noticeable, because they graze in the meadow, and in winter you can save a lot on bait.
- Unpretentiousness in the maintenance. Another positive side of these animals, because they can live in the most ordinary barn.
- No birth problems. Due to the small size of the cows themselves, calves are also born with low weight. The heifer is able to independently give birth to offspring, without human help, but at first you will need to look after the calf.
- Good reproductive function. Jerseys are fertilized easily and give birth to always alive, healthy and strong babies.
- Lack of mastitis and other diseases. The breed is not predisposed to diseases, these are very rare cases when the animal is sick with something. Hoof problems and especially lameness are also excluded.
As for the minuses, they are not trifling, it is for these reasons that farmers change their mind about acquiring this cow:
- Low milk yield. High fat content of milk - it is, but if the farm collects cows for pure milk, then the milk yield is not large, in comparison with other dairy breeds. Therefore, the amount of milk yield can only be compensated by high fat content.
- Small meat yield. Breeders are accustomed to the fact that you can get from one cow not only big milk yield, but also a lot of delicious beef. You can not say about Jersey cows, they have a small meat yield, which scares away many farmers.
- The high cost of animals. The cost of a Jersey breed is ten times more expensive than black and motley cows, not all farmers have such funds for the purchase of even calves.
- Timidity. At first glance, this is not such a serious drawback, but if farming is close to noisy roads, the airport or the railway, then shy cows will not work.
Although the Jersey breeds have many more pluses than minuses, there are very few of them in Russia, in comparison with England, where they came from. They do not eat much, 20% less than other dairy breeds, so farmers in the central part still breed this breed.
Farmers Reviews
Testimonials of people who were holding or are currently holding Jersey cows.
Dmitry Prilutsky, 45 years old, p. Novoselitskoe.I bought myself a pair of Jersey girls, and then it turned out that it was quite difficult to find a bull. I had to buy a bull of a different breed. Crossed with a Jersey breed, young growth was born strong and healthy. Dzherseytsy really give a lot of milk, but with poor feeding, the percentage of fat falls to 5%.
Alexander Truskavets, a farmer.I always bred cows and bulls of black-motley breed, but then I was advised to purchase dairy breed to cover costs. I bought a Jersey breed on the advice and realized that you can’t wait for meat from it, but there was a lot of milk, and fatty. I not only sold milk, but also made expensive cheeses, sour cream and yoghurts, all this was sold very quickly.
Elena Vysotskaya, 45 years old.We bought two cows of a Jersey breed and one bull. We keep them in the courtyard all summer just under a canopy, very rarely we drive them into the barn. The animals are calm, they give delicious milk, if properly fed.
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The Jersey breed of cows fully lives up to expectations, giving quite a lot of tasty and fat milk. But there are some nuances that you should pay attention to before buying an animal. Throughout the world, the Jersey cow is considered the best dairy breed, but, unfortunately, it gives very little meat, since all the nutrients go to milk production.
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