Pros and cons to raising jerseys for freezer beef....

[inbredredneck]

What about a Jersey cross with Red Angus? The steer looks a lot like a Jersey but he seems to be growing about the same as the other steers Will he still take longer to finish like a straigt Jersey steer? :cboy: .

If fed the same, the Jersey/RA cross should finish in less time than the straight Jersey.

One other thing: Jerseys generally marble better than any beef breed yet some say it is lean beef. I've always thought high marbling and lean were pretty much opposites. Someone help me out here.

Fed correct they will marble well and have little backfat. Fed wrong they will be ultra lean. Now my idea of right and wrong are completly opposite of lets say a health food fella. I tend to like meat that will self cook once you get the fat dripping. Saves on wood pellets.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

The one jersey we finished out was very lean. And he gobbled up a bunch of grain. He was tasty and tender though

One of the steers we butchered a few months ago was Jersey. He was on about 12 lbs. of grain a day, just like the beef-type calves, for finishing. He, of course, wasn't as big at slaughter, but his buyers are really happy with the meat. We also bought a finished Jersey bull (young one) a year or so ago for our own consumption, and he was very tasty.

 

[vclavin]

Are we talking about the little Jerseys' or the bigger Jerseys'? I understand they come in 2 sizes?
Valerie

 

[big hoss]

If you. Can get a mix of 75%corn11%beans14%barley this I find is best for Jersey growth.we are averaging 2..88lbs a day on this feed and roast all our grain as well to Increase tdn for them they have full access to hay or grass and finish around 1000 lbs in 12 months and dress 580

 

[TexasBred]

If you. Can get a mix of 75%corn11%beans14%barley this I find is best for Jersey growth.we are averaging 2..88lbs a day on this feed and roast all our grain as well to Increase tdn for them they have full access to hay or grass and finish around 1000 lbs in 12 months and dress 580

A 1000 lb. jersey at twelve months?? Wow.

 

[Supa Dexta]

Maybe he means 12 months on feed. After you start with a 7mo old weaned calf.

 

[TexasBred]

Maybe he means 12 months on feed. After you start with a 7mo old weaned calf.

:nod: :nod:

 

[big hoss]

We have raised Jersey beef for years and marketing it at a premium for just as long.i can say this about it when we fed whole grain it took a lot of feed but since we started roasting it we use about 1 quarter less feed and finish up in fourteen months around a thousand lbs

 

[big hoss]

14 months on feed start to finish free choice hay or grass and feed we do cook our grain too the roasting of feed increased tdn by 20% it helps alot

 

[TexasBred]

14 months on feed start to finish free choice hay or grass and feed we do cook our grain too the roasting of feed increased tdn by 20% it helps alot

It will increase it some but noway it will raise it 30%. Bet feed cost went up too if you really penciled it out.

 

[big hoss]

Not sure where you are located but here with hay protein being of great quality and intensive grazing along with free choice feed it's not a hard reach for us

 

[TexasBred]

Not sure where you are located but here with hay protein being of great quality and intensive grazing along with free choice feed it's not a hard reach for us

Hard to find good hay in this part of the world and the good high quality grazing runs out when temps hit 100 so they are on little more than filler unless heavily supplemented.Energy needs are extremely high in those high temps night and day.

 

[big hoss]

Just shipped a20 month Jersey bull to yard for butcher weighed 1510 live 3 tonnes feed free choice hay

 

[farmerjan]

I have eaten strictly jersey beef for nearly 20 years. Start the calves on my nurse cows and wean at 8-10 months. I usually have butchered before 24 months due to the BSE and spinal cord thing so that I can get t-bones for some buyers; but for me I don't bother, I get filets and ribeyes and ny strips and have that much less bone to deal with. Jerseys are the 2nd best marbling beef next to wagyu, and they don't have alot of backfat. The fat does have a little different taste but I do grass fed with next to no grain fed. The corn seems to give fat a different flavor. The meat tends to have a sweeter taste, has a finer texture and the cuts are smaller. I get my steaks done thicker than average 1 1/2 inches so they don't cook too fast and are tough. That's the secret with any grass fed, DON'T OVERCOOK IT.
Usually have the steers weigh in the 1,000 to 1100 lb range at 18-20 months but I don't push them. Hanging weight will be about 50-55 % but have had several over 60%. Have 2 to go this fall that will be about 2 yrs that will weigh 1000 or so all grass fed. They might make it back to the barn and get some grain the last month or two but maybe not.
Most jersey baby calves cost $20-$50, but most weaned jerseys in the 300 lb range bring .70 so it doesn't pay to raise them from babies unless you have a nurse cow. Holstein calves are back down to $75-$125 from the ridiculous highs of $500 2 years ago but they take alot more feed to get finished. Just put a $100 holstein on a beef heifer that had a premie that had lung issues and couldn't save. She won't lose the lactation and will go out to get bred with the group. Calf will be worth $3-400 as opposed to the beef bull calf @ $5-600 but better than no calf.

 

[Kjfred]

Took two jersey steers in last month- hanging weights were 684 and 640. Raised from bottle calves. Fed ground ear corn/barley, free choice hay and pasture.
I'm not getting rich raising em but at worst it's better than putting cash in a bank. We never seem to have trouble finding buyers for quarters and halves.
Now if you're going to sell at market it would be a less attractive venture.

 

[Son of Butch]

I have seen Jersey steers coming out of feed lots with beautiful finish several times out sell top holstein fats.
I don't know who's they were, but thought to myself now there's somebody who knows how to feed cattle.
I don't know how much time and feed they had into them, but somebody certainly knew how to develop an end product.

 

[nicolef43]

If fed the same, the Jersey/RA cross should finish in less time than the straight Jersey.

One other thing: Jerseys generally marble better than any beef breed yet some say it is lean beef. I've always thought high marbling and lean were pretty much opposites. Someone help me out here.

VanC it IS possible to have high marbling and still be lean. Notice the EPD stats on the angus registry site. There are 2 separate EPD's for marbling and fat. In a basic nutshell, Fat is measured outside of the muscle and Marbling is measured inside of the muscle (inter muscular fat). Ideally you want that fat epd low and the marbling epd high when selecting AI bulls to produce better carcass calves. Better if that feed is putting fat where it flavors the meat rather than putter fat that just gets trimmed off.