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Jersey cattleFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jersey

A Jersey cow in England.

Country of origin Jersey

Use Dairy

Traits

Weight Male:540 – 820 kilograms (1,190 – 1,810 lb)

Female:400 – 500 kilograms (880 – 1,100 lb)

Coat Fawn

Cattle

Bos (primigenius) taurus

Jersey cattle are a small breed of dairy cattle . Originally bred in the Channel Island of Jersey , thebreed is popular for the high butterfat content of its milk and the lower maintenance costs attendingits lower bodyweight, as well as its genial disposition.

Contents[hide ]

1 Characteristics 2 History of the breed 3 Jersey cows in India

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4 Famous Jersey cows 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Characteristics [edit ] The Jersey cow is quite small, ranging from only 400 –500 kilograms (880 –1,100 lb). The main factorcontributing to the popularity of the breed has been their greater economy of production, due to:

The ability to carry a larger number of effective milking cows per unit area due to lower bodyweight, hence lower maintenance requirements, and superior grazing ability.

Calving ease and a relatively lower rate of dystocia , leading to their popularityin crossbreeding with other dairy and even beef breeds to reduce calving related injuries.

High fertility High butterfat conditions, 4.84% butterfat and 3.95% protein, and the ability to thrive on locally

produced food .[1] Bulls are also small, ranging from 540 to 820 kg (1200 to 1800 pounds), andare notoriously aggressive.

Castrated males can be trained into fine oxen which, due to their small size and gentle nature, makethem popular with young teamsters. Jersey oxen are not as strong as larger breeds however and aregenerally out of favor among competitive teamsters.

Due to the small size, docile and inquisitive character and attractive features of the Jersey cow,small herds were imported into England by aristocratic landowners as adornment for aestheticallylandscaped parks.

Jerseys are adaptable to hot climates and are bred in the hottest parts of Brazil.

Jerseys come in all shades of brown, from light tan to almost black. They are frequently fawn incolor. All purebred Jerseys have a lighter band around their muzzle, a dark switch (long hair on theend of the tail), and black hooves, although in recent years color regulations have been relaxed toallow a broadening of the gene pool.

They are calm and docile animals, but tend to be a bit more nervous than other dairy cow breeds.They are also highly recommended cows for first time owners and marginal pasture.

Unfortunately, they have a greater tendency towards post-parturient hypocalcaemia (or "milk fever ")in dams and frail calves that require more attentive management in cold weather than other dairybreeds due to their smaller body mass and greater relative surface area.

History of the breed [edit ]

Jersey cattle being judged at ashow in Jersey, home of the breed

As its name implies, the Jersey was bred on the British Channel Island of Jersey . It apparentlydescended from cattle stock brought over from the nearby Norman mainland , and was first recordedas a separate breed around 1700.

The breed was isolated from outside influence for over two hundred years, from 1789 to 2008.

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Before 1789 cows would be given as dowry for inter-island marriages between Jerseyand Guernsey .[2] This was, however, not widespread.

In 1789, imports of foreign cattle into Jersey were forbidden by law to maintain the purity of thebreed, although exports of cattle and semen have been an important economic resource for theisland. The restriction on the import of cattle was initially introduced in 1789 to prevent a collapse inthe export price. The United Kingdom levied no import duty on cattle imported from Jersey. Cattlewere being shipped from France to Jersey and then being shipped onward to England to circumventthe tariff on French cattle. The increase in the supply of cattle, sometimes of inferior quality, wasbringing the price down and damaging the reputation of Jersey cattle. The import ban stabilised theprice and enabled a more scientifically controlled programme of breeding to be undertaken.

Jerseys are well known as curious and gentle cattle

Sir John Le Couteur studied selective breeding and became a Fellow of the Royal Society - his workled to the establishment of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society in 1833. At thattime, the breed displayed greater variation than it does today with white, dark brown and mulberrybeasts. However, since the honey-brown cows sold best the breed was developed accordingly. In1860 1,138 cows were exported via England, the average price being £16 per head. By 1910 over athousand head were exported annually to the United States alone. It is now the fastest growing dairybreed in the world.

On 1866, at the Annual General Meeting of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society,H.G. Shepard notes in his histor y[3]that "it was resolved - on the motion of Col. Le Couteur, that theHon. Secretary be hereby invited to open and to carry on a "herd book" in which the pedigree ofbulls, cows and heifers shall be entered for reference to all the members of the Society." In 1869 forthe first time prizes were awarded at the Society's Shows for Herd Book Stock Cattle.

The States of Jersey took a census of stock in 1866, and Jersey then supported 12,037 head ofcattle, of which 611 were bulls, and no fewer than 6,322 pigs and 517 sheep. This was before themotor age and 3,227 horses were kept, Saint Helier being responsible for 888.

In July 2008, the States of Jersey took the historic step of ending the ban on imports, and allowingthe import of bull semen from any breed of cattle, although only semen that is genetically pure willenable the resultant progeny to be entered in the Jersey Herd Book. For many decades each of the12 parishes in Jersey would hold cattle shows in the Spring, Summer and Autumn of every year;followed in turn by the main shows held by the Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society

where the best of the parish shows would compete. It was said that the colour of the rosette securedby a prize-winning cow determined its export value. Today the RJAHS holds two shows a yearwhere usually 5 or 6 of the remaining 23 herds will compete against each other for the top prizes. AJersey cattle show is also held in Jersey, by The West Show Association .[4]

In February, 2010, it was revealed that semen from a non-pure breed Jersey bull had been importedinto the island despite strict laws and checks, and 100 cows have been impregnated with the semen.Their offspring will not be recorded in the Jersey herd book .[5]

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Jersey cows in India [edit ] Under British rule Jerseys were transported to India and cross bred with Asian breeds to improve thequality of milk produced by domestic breeds - the practice of importing pure bred Jerseys for cross-breeding continues to this day [6]

Famous Jersey cows [edit ]

Sculpture by John McKenna, unveiled in 2001 and on display at West's Center, St Helier

Brown Bessie, the famous champion butter cow of the Chicago World's Fair dairy test, averagedover 18 kg (40 pounds) of milk a day for five months, and made 1.3 kg ( 3Lb ) of butter a day .[7]

Hurionia Centurion Veronica 20J is a well known show cow of the Jersey breed. In 2003 shewas sold for $85,000 at public auction. She was the 2006 World Dairy Expo SupremeChampion. She has also been named the All-American Grand Champion Jersey .[citation needed ]

Mainstream Barkley Jubilee holds the top two records for milk production for a Jersey cow. Sheproduced 49,250 lbs of milk after calving at 3 years and 6 months of age, and 55,590 lbs aftercalving at 4 years and 8 months old .[8]

Lily Flagg, champion butterfat and milk producer of 1892. She produced a record 1047 pounds,3/4 ounces of butter as well as 11,339 pounds of milk .[9] Her owner threw a locally famous high-class party in her honor, going so far as to paint his house "butter yellow" for the occasion .[10]