Half Angus Half jersey?
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Ky hills
Well-known member
I've had several of them, and done just that. they can make good cows.
They may give a lot of milk so you have to watch for scours certain times of the year when the calves are real young. Once they get a little older they can take all the milk and do really well.
Cows may not last in the herd to an old age due to udder problems if they are real heavy milkers, but should last for several years and raise some good calves.
Dave
Well-known member
I tried that. Raised 5 Angus/Holstein heifer bottle calves. 5 years later I had one left. The other 4 didn't breed back or other issues. I declared it a failure. The calves certainly grew but they still had too much dairy look to them so they didn't exactly ring the bell.
bird dog
Well-known member
Try them with homozygous black limo bull. It put some butt into the calves.
Logan52
Well-known member
I think the climate and feed resources make a big difference. For many years when I depended on cattle income more than I do now, they were the basis of my cow herd and I sought them out for replacements.
They seldom wanted for groceries and I kept a watchful eye on them. I generally calved in December or January and it was not uncommon for them to wean 800 pound calves by late September. Many continued to produce well past ten years old but you had to watch their bags.
The cows I have today descend from that type cows.
They seldom wanted for groceries and I kept a watchful eye on them. I generally calved in December or January and it was not uncommon for them to wean 800 pound calves by late September. Many continued to produce well past ten years old but you had to watch their bags.
The cows I have today descend from that type cows.
Travlr
Well-known member
A lot of people once used Holstein crosses, mostly Hereford, back in the day. The hybrid vigor was attractive, and the dairy brought size and mothering ability and the calves weaned big. They'd use a bull with some muscle to put meat into the cross.
I don't remember anyone actively trying to use Jersey crosses. They might have gotten some as a terminal cross from a family milk cow but no one was breeding them for replacements.
One of my nurse cows is 1/2 Guernsey and 1/2 Hereford. She was bred to a Gyr bull when we got her, and the calf looked like most 1/2 Brahma cattle do. She raised her calf and another last year, where as the 4 full dairy cows we have raised 3 or 4 each. I think she is 7 years old now...will have to look at her records to be sure. @Caustic Burno has some pics of his 1/2 Jersey 1/2 Brahma cows with their Angus calves, and I would love to have a pasture full of those. I think with your claves being 3'4ths angus, they will do well. As far as how long the cows will hold up just raising one on just pasture, I couldn't say. Dunno if @Caustic Burno grafts other calves on them or not, pr how old these cows are now, but maybe he will comment on this thread. When I was in college I got a weaned Holstein heifer on a trade, and put her in the [pasture with my Grandaddy's Angus herd. She never made a big bag like you see in dairies, and she always just raised her 1/2 Angus calves and no others. I think she was about 7 or 8 when I sold her. She and the Angus herd never got anything but Fescue pasture and Bermuda hay to eat, though.
TexasJerseyMilker
Well-known member
Lots of dairys are doing beef on dairy these days. Used to, Holsein and Jersey bull calves were just about worthless and they knocked them on the head when born. Now with sexed semen they do terminal cross for bull calves. The dairys AI their run of the mill cows to Angus to create beef steers, only bred their best cows to produce replacement heifers. I was told Angus on Holstein was better than Angus on Jersey because Holstein have larger frames and grow faster.
All of my old Jerseys calves were half Angus. They stay black and don't take a ding at the sale barn. I only kept one heifer to reproductive age. Now she lives on the ranch across the road, raised her first calf with no problem. They keep them on grass and feed hay in the winter, no other feed. She never had a huge bag like a dairy cow.
All of my old Jerseys calves were half Angus. They stay black and don't take a ding at the sale barn. I only kept one heifer to reproductive age. Now she lives on the ranch across the road, raised her first calf with no problem. They keep them on grass and feed hay in the winter, no other feed. She never had a huge bag like a dairy cow.
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Logan52
Well-known member
A neighbor and mentor of mine retired from a dairy and kept all the Jersey heifers to form the foundation stock for a beef cow herd. That was back when Charolais were first being introduced and he A I ed them to big French Charolais bulls. These made big (over 1500 pounds) cows that produced really nice calves bred to an Angus bull. When he retired for good he sold me his cows and I did very well with them.
They would be good cows even today
They would be good cows even today
Stickney94
Well-known member
This.
Very accurate summation of what to expect.
I have one angus/jersey cross (my daughters first 4H calf) -- I'd have culled her years ago but my daughter had the veto. Her calves are fine but in comparison to my other cows calves they've trended to be short in height, short in length and slow growing.
TexasJerseyMilker
Well-known member
Yes, you can see the dairy character and the skinny legs. Daphne's first calf was a fat #1 grade steer calf brought over $1000,(prices were good then) sired by a heavily muscled bull. But every one of her 7 calves after that were skreebier and skreebier with more and more dairy character no matter which Angus bull bred to. Now the old girl has been bred AI sex selected for a Jersey heifer and has a biscuit in the oven.
Travlr
Well-known member
"Skreebier"??? I like that word, I'm gonna try to remember that one.
TexasJerseyMilker
Well-known member
First there is skreeby or that calf is a skeeb. With increasing skeebyness it is skeebier.
This word was taught to us by the professor in Forage and Range Management in college.
Another thing he discussed was swing bag cows. Those dairy cows that have blown their suspensory ligament. Then he said, "There used to be there was all men in this class but I will say it anyway" (this was in the hippy days) "There are a lot of swing bag women on this campus".
This word was taught to us by the professor in Forage and Range Management in college.
Another thing he discussed was swing bag cows. Those dairy cows that have blown their suspensory ligament. Then he said, "There used to be there was all men in this class but I will say it anyway" (this was in the hippy days) "There are a lot of swing bag women on this campus".
who cares
Well-known member
I wouldn't - I've had a lot of crosses due to using beef on my dairy girls and extra milk isn't cheap to produce. while calves grow initially well, when weaned others always out perform them with compensatory gain. They have too light hind quarters and always too much milk so end up on 2-3rd lactation with blind quarters from over producing . I have milked many and it's nothing for them to freshen at 5-6 gallons, they just don't sustain it for as long as true dairy cows do. If you want to use them as nurse cows, that works well, but no day old newborn can drink 5 to 6 gallons a day. And then they end up neglecting at least two quarters and you have a sick cow with mastitis
bird dog
Well-known member
I have one. I bought her bred last year for kill price plus about $50 hoping she was bred right. She wasn't and had a Holstein
colored calf but was thick like a beef calf. I sold it at 6 months to a individual for $900. She is bred to my black limo now so we'll see how that works out.
colored calf but was thick like a beef calf. I sold it at 6 months to a individual for $900. She is bred to my black limo now so we'll see how that works out.farmerjan
Well-known member
Jersey/angus cross will be lighter boned than a hol/angus cross. The jersey's are just finer boned and it passes down to the next generations. They will milk like crazy and really put the weight/fat on a calf. And breeding back can be a problem if they drop too much condition. Many times they will be a little shorter. Takes 2-3 generations to lose the jersey look/shape in the head. The calves do tend to be that "choc" brownish color.
The hol/ang crosses will make a taller leggier calf and it will take 2-3 generations to lose that longer back leg look to them. A 3/4 calf (ang out of hol/ang) will not have as much "dairy" look to the head, but they still have a longer head, and some legginess, and it can be noticeable. A hol/ang can be black or with some white... often on the belly and the tail.... The calves start to really blend in well when they are 7/8 beef... but the 3/4 beef 1/4 heifers make very good brood cows and usually will not lose much weight when nursing a calf. The 1/2 dairy 1/2 beef ones often tend to drop alot of weight when on just grass because their genetics are putting so much into the milk.
I like a hol/hereford the best for a 1/2 1/2 cow as the hereford tends to negate the weight loss so much for some reason. They usually are better dispositioned overall, and their resulting calf (3/4 beef) will show little of the dairy except sometimes have too much white for some buyers.
Hereford x calves are a little heavier boned also, but sometimes can be a problem to calve as they have a broader head....
Jersey/limousin calves are a better choice than angus... they are long and slim and do not cause alot of calving problems and the calves tend to be bulkier as they grow...
There are a few dairies using some simmental on their cows also... and they have more "body" than the jersey angus crosses.
I get tired of just looking at black cattle....
I have no experience with any of the brahma crosses so cannot make judgements on them... they are NOT popular and do not do good here for selling purposes... but I think there might be a few with some brangus around as I see some at the sale with a little more "ear look" and just a little more "leather" around the brisket and stomach/sheath area lately. I have nothing against them... but they will get docked here.
The hol/ang crosses will make a taller leggier calf and it will take 2-3 generations to lose that longer back leg look to them. A 3/4 calf (ang out of hol/ang) will not have as much "dairy" look to the head, but they still have a longer head, and some legginess, and it can be noticeable. A hol/ang can be black or with some white... often on the belly and the tail.... The calves start to really blend in well when they are 7/8 beef... but the 3/4 beef 1/4 heifers make very good brood cows and usually will not lose much weight when nursing a calf. The 1/2 dairy 1/2 beef ones often tend to drop alot of weight when on just grass because their genetics are putting so much into the milk.
I like a hol/hereford the best for a 1/2 1/2 cow as the hereford tends to negate the weight loss so much for some reason. They usually are better dispositioned overall, and their resulting calf (3/4 beef) will show little of the dairy except sometimes have too much white for some buyers.
Hereford x calves are a little heavier boned also, but sometimes can be a problem to calve as they have a broader head....
Jersey/limousin calves are a better choice than angus... they are long and slim and do not cause alot of calving problems and the calves tend to be bulkier as they grow...
There are a few dairies using some simmental on their cows also... and they have more "body" than the jersey angus crosses.
I get tired of just looking at black cattle....
I have no experience with any of the brahma crosses so cannot make judgements on them... they are NOT popular and do not do good here for selling purposes... but I think there might be a few with some brangus around as I see some at the sale with a little more "ear look" and just a little more "leather" around the brisket and stomach/sheath area lately. I have nothing against them... but they will get docked here.
suzorse
Well-known member
this is my 1/2 Angus out of a 3/4 Jersey 1/4 Hereford cow , I do need to get a picture of her next to a pure Jersey for comparison , she is short and thick , by Genex Ashland
Suzanne
picture was taken back in April
maple and calves 010 by suzorse, on Flickr
Suzanne
picture was taken back in April
maple and calves 010 by suzorse, on Flickrfarmerjan
Well-known member
Many brown swiss/ hol crosses have that choc color with a little white underneath from the hol side... and the swiss will give the calf a little more bone and body. Have had several but I am not in love with their dispositons.. not mean, but stubborn and the swiss tends to give them a lack of will to "try".... For all their bigger size, swiss are more wimpy when it comes to will to live, and the smaller jerseys I find to be the "scrappiest" wanting to live. Guernseys have been bred so that they will die just by looking at them... the old rawboned rough family guernsey is long gone... SADLY....
farmerjan
Well-known member
She is nice but has that dish shaped jersey head... NOTHING WRONG with it... just a tell tale face.this is my 1/2 Angus out of a 3/4 Jersey 1/4 Hereford cow , I do need to get a picture of her next to a pure Jersey for comparison , she is short and thick , by Genex Ashland
Suzanne
picture was taken back in April
