EmsoffLambs
Just born
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- Jul 30, 2008
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I'm a real Jersey fan. We've owned three different Jersey nurse cows and they were all easy to handle...big babies in fact. Their milk is very rich and they make more than most single families can use in a day. We'd raise several calves at a time on them and the were wonderful mothers, always accepting the calves instantly.
We are also hooked on Jersey beef. We've eaten a lot of home raised beef, most of it Angus or Angus cross. But the Jersey beef absolutely blows the Angus out of the water with its tenderness and flavor. The USDA Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) has done studies comparing many different breeds for a wide variety of production traits and the Jersey excells all the common beef breeds for meat quality traits. Jerseys will grow slower and the cuts of meat are a lot smaller than the traditional beef breeds. But the quality of meat is outstanding.
The downside of Jerseys? They are not a self-sufficient breed. They require a LOT of feed to make their rich milk. And they aren't very tough. We'd just halter our cattle and tie them to a fence for any vet treatments. A couple of our cows would fall on their knees when we'd give them their vaccinations. They thought we were just killing them! They are just very gentle, docile cattle.
Another bonus to the Jerseys...They are very affordable. We've looked into the more "novelty" breeds like the Dexter, and they cost more than a full size cow, $1000 or more. But you can pick up a milking Jersey cow from a dairy, one that just isn't quite milking enough to earn her keep, for around $500-650. Baby Jersey bull calves are practically given away around here, selling for only $10 or less. No joke. If you go for a beef or holstien calf, you'll easily be spending $100-$200 for that baby calf. And the babies do have a high death rate, so that's a much bigger risk.
We are also hooked on Jersey beef. We've eaten a lot of home raised beef, most of it Angus or Angus cross. But the Jersey beef absolutely blows the Angus out of the water with its tenderness and flavor. The USDA Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) has done studies comparing many different breeds for a wide variety of production traits and the Jersey excells all the common beef breeds for meat quality traits. Jerseys will grow slower and the cuts of meat are a lot smaller than the traditional beef breeds. But the quality of meat is outstanding.
The downside of Jerseys? They are not a self-sufficient breed. They require a LOT of feed to make their rich milk. And they aren't very tough. We'd just halter our cattle and tie them to a fence for any vet treatments. A couple of our cows would fall on their knees when we'd give them their vaccinations. They thought we were just killing them! They are just very gentle, docile cattle.
Another bonus to the Jerseys...They are very affordable. We've looked into the more "novelty" breeds like the Dexter, and they cost more than a full size cow, $1000 or more. But you can pick up a milking Jersey cow from a dairy, one that just isn't quite milking enough to earn her keep, for around $500-650. Baby Jersey bull calves are practically given away around here, selling for only $10 or less. No joke. If you go for a beef or holstien calf, you'll easily be spending $100-$200 for that baby calf. And the babies do have a high death rate, so that's a much bigger risk.
found my way here from Backyard chickens... love these sites...fun!
