Question?:What breed to select

[M00]

Hi,
20 years ago i fell in love with jersey cows,Their cute faces, brown color, and gentleness won me over.
now in my late 20's i married a Hereford cattle breeder (he has 50 head) and i haven't really thought about owning a jersey before but now i really want one. We feed our ford's hay and grass. And i was wondering if it would be okay to have a jersey running off of that ( milk wouldn't be our main priority ). If it isn't okay what other breeds would that diet be good for. i would like a sweet cow that i could show in my county and state fairs but wouldn't be too much a a hassle, i woulden't mind having a meat cow but our Herefords are nowhere near show ring quality.
Thank you in advance,
M00 :cboy:

 

[glacierridge]

Well...
I don't know where you are located, but I would maybe check around your neighborhood and see what dairy animals are popular near you and why.
Jersey would be fine, but you would need to make sure it's taken care of like a dairy animal should...
Needs to be milked, either by you or as a nurse cow, needs feed supplement, if you are looking to show her I would advise against having her be a nurse cow, with a show cow udders are a big deal and you don't want calves abusing her.

Getting a dairy to show to mix with your beef might end up being more work than you are looking for unless you won't mind the extra effort of owning one.

 

[shortybreeder]

Beef Shorthorns. I have mine on grassy hay and corn stalks for the winter, with no supplements needed during the summer. If you want help finding good stock I can suggest some breeders near your area. Just send me a PM with your state and I'll help find some breeders that I would trust with my own $$. If you're willing to travel, Iowa and Indiana have the best breeders. Docility is usually pretty great in the shorthorn breed, and for "eye appeal" (judges do take that into consideration) it is hard to beat a flashy roan calf! A nice blue roan ShorthornPlus calf is, in my opinion, the most eye-appealing animal you can have on a farm that will actually make you money! I would suggest either a white shorthorn cow or a red roan shorthorn cow, and breed that to either a black angus or a black simmental to get the nice blue roan pattern. A red roan cow will throw a roan calf 50% of the time, whereas a white cow (in the shorthorn breed) will throw a roan calf or a spotted calf 100% of the time when bred to a solid bull.

 

[bigbull338]

yes a jersey would work in your setup.but you would need to feed her some grain.an that will keep her in pretty good shape.

 

[WalnutCrest]

If you're looking to maintain much of the Jersey look but add some muscle, Aubrac, Gelbvieh, and Braunvieh may be worth looking into. Aubracs have nice milk and would be worth using on a dairy herd to improve the red meat yields on your dairy steers without sacrificing as much on the milk you'd get from any females you'd get (vs. the reduction in milk you may see with using some other breeds).

Good luck -- interesting project.

 

[M00]

Wonderful thank you guys for answering i live in PA. and every year i go to all of the fairs we have here(from the annual farm show to the rabbit and horse shows(even though i have neather)) and i do plan to milk my cow by hand and one of the things that also interested me was the high fat content in jersey milk for making cheese and butter (two things i love to do)

 

[djinwa]

Be careful getting a pure Jersey cow. With decent genetics, she could overwhelm you with milk, and would require special nutrition best left to professionals. Jerseys have higher risk of milk fever, etc, if not fed properly. Milk is not free - nutrition coming out of the cow requires nutrition going in.

And as I have myself, many people get a used Jersey cow and find out she has problems like chronic, low-grade mastitis. Be careful.

Last summer, I sold a Hereford/jersey cross heifer I was milking, because she gave much more than me and my wife needed. Gets old trying to get rid of milk. I got 1.5 gallons daily, plus she was raising a calf. I now have a couple beef heifers (British Whites), from which I might steal a quart or two daily after they calve. If I ever get grandkids around, might breed the Whites to Jersey to get a Jersey/beef cross cow to milk.

By the way, milking a Jersey by hand isn't easy if several gallons daily. And many are now bred with short teats.

 

[Son of Butch]

Go Jersey!!! That's where your :heart: is. Here's some ammo to defend your choice.
South Africa 2012 Ultimate Steak Challenge for the best tasting steak in the country was won with a Wagyu steak...
BUT the runner up was from a JERSEY :!:
It's rare that a Jersey has trouble calving and will handle a Hereford calf just fine. Not only cute, but delicious.
Happy hunting in finding the one you want.

 

[UG]

Also check out the Tarentaise breed. They have a very similar look to a Jersey. I believe they were developed as a dual purpose breed (milk and meat) in Europe but are a beef breed in the US.

For more info on the breed check out their association website at:

http://americantarentaise.org/

 

[WalnutCrest]

Go Jersey!!! That's where your :heart: is. Here's some ammo to defend your choice.
South Africa 2012 Ultimate Steak Challenge for the best tasting steak in the country was won with a Wagyu steak...
BUT the runner up was from a JERSEY :!:
It's rare that a Jersey has trouble calving and will handle a Hereford calf just fine. Not only cute, but delicious.
Happy hunting in finding the one you want.

It's a good thing more people are focusing on the dining experience.

I'll try to post a picture of an Aubrac x Jersey cow I took at a guys farm last fall. They really flesh out nicely.

 

[Black and Good]

When I was a kid we fed out a Jersey steer "Victor" he was Goood eating. Had yellow fat. But, good tender meat. B&G

 

[3waycross]

When I was a kid we fed out a Jersey steer "Victor" he was Goood eating. Had yellow fat. But, good tender meat. B&G

Ya probably shoulda ate him before his 5th birthday :mrgreen: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

 

[Braunviehjohn]

Braunvieh would be a good one. They will cross well with hereford, improve milk, muscling, and marbling. I have a braunvieh cow that I milk once a day when we need milk. I take the first gallon rest of the time the calf gets her.

 

[M00]

thank you guys for everything i dont think im going to get a jersey cow anymore ill take a look at other breeds my daughter ( shes 14) still loves jersey cows and now wants miniature jersey for her b-day! so ill post a new topic on that tata

 

[cbcr]

The Fleckvieh would be another breed to consider as they are a dual purpose breed (milk and beef).

Visit our website to learn a little more about the Milking Fleckvieh http://www.dairycattleregistry.com

 

[Alan]

Did "I luv herfrds" really leave? Lots of sales pitches for their breeds going on lately. So go Herefords! Oh wait, that's a sales pitch .....

Your Jersey/ Hereford cross will be a good cross and the cow will do fine on grass and hay. I would grain her if you plan to steal milk from her for home use. It's a good cross from what I understand from all the post I have seen here in the past. Also, if you can she would make a great graft cow.

 

[OakCreekRanch]

We knew several commercial operators have some brindled cows in their herd. Great cows from what I've been told and the steers of this cross are fine eating!

 

[WalnutCrest]

We knew several commercial operators have some brindled cows in their herd. Great cows from what I've been told and the steers of this cross are fine eating!

Lots of crosses make brindle-patterned animals. Is there a particular cross you're thinking of?

 

[OakCreekRanch]

We knew several commercial operators have some brindled cows in their herd. Great cows from what I've been told and the steers of this cross are fine eating!

Lots of crosses make brindle-patterned animals. Is there a particular cross you're thinking of?

This thread is about the jerseys. The brindled cows have a white face so it should give you a clue what is other breed in this cross.

 

[WalnutCrest]

We knew several commercial operators have some brindled cows in their herd. Great cows from what I've been told and the steers of this cross are fine eating!

Lots of crosses make brindle-patterned animals. Is there a particular cross you're thinking of?

This thread is about the jerseys. The brindled cows have a white face so it should give you a clue what is other breed in this cross.

Re-read every post in this thread. There are about a bajillion breeds mentioned. It's hard to tell what this thread is about, other than the OP wants to know "what breed to select".