Seeking Mini Jersy heifer

[lesajt]

Hello. I am new to the forum and am wondering if anyone knows where I can get a Jersy heifer, bred or milk cow? I will be buying one in the next several weeks/months when I get moved to my new house. I live in Western Colorado and will be buying a couple nanny goats, chickens, pigs, and a bred jersy cow or a calf heifer to grow and breed. I am so excited to start my new life after being terribly ill and losing my job...I am starting over with my wonderful husband.

 

[francismilker]

How far are you willing to travel to pick one up? They're around, but few and far between.

 

[lesajt]

I could travel about 300 miles. I live about 300 miles west of Denver and 300 miles east of Salt Lake. So around there or south and or north of here into Utah and Wyoming. I did find a couple places one in Utah and one in Ill. The guy in Ill. wants about 1800 for a heifer calf and will ship her for 300. Kind of pricy. I thought about just going with a full size.

 

[francismilker]

I'd second the full size. I've got some mini jerseys and am not real impressed with their sustainability on a grass based diet. To keep them in good body condition you have to pump the feed to them like they're on a confinement dairy operation and they don't produce as much milk. By the time you get a gallon of milk in the icebox you have as much money in it as if you went to the grocery store and bought it. Besides, of all the mini jerseys that I've been involved with, not one of them had good udder confirmation and teat length for handmilking. I do have one mini-jersey heifer that was born this year that is 1/2 mini-jersey X 1/2 Milking Shorthorn. I think by looking at her sire's dam's teat length she should have better handles. I am considerably far away from you though. The last time I drove to Denver to go snow-skiing it took me about 12 hours to get there. She's really gentle and haltar broke. My son showed her at the county fair this year. Born June 22nd 2009.

 

[lesajt]

Thanks for the info. I will look locally and see what I can find when ready. I never heard of a milking Shorthorn. Dont think we have them much in Colorado. Since I know we also want beef I need to buy something that might be good for both. Maybe a Jersey cross, etc. and eat the off spring and/or put a beef calf on her to butcher later. I will check out the auctions and the local farms too. I got a business card from a lady that wanted to sell us some beef. I will ask her if she sells calves too. There is a dairy close to the house we are trying to buy, but I think it is all Holsteins. Not to interested in that. I have also used nanny goats to feed calves. Can't wait to get our hosue sold and buy the new one and get moved.

 

[francismilker]

If you're looking for a cow that will supply enough milk for a single family with regular milk consumption, you might consider getting a beef/dairy cross cow and share milk with the calf. That way, when you breed her every year to a beef bull you'll get a 3/4 beef offspring and it will grow and eat well. I've used Holstein/beef cross cows before for this and they worked well. It just depends on your current interest and needs. Just about any breed of dairy crossed with beef should work well for a family milk cow as long as she's hand raised, gentled, and haltar broke for ease of handleing.

 

[lesajt]

Thoughts what I was thinking. Thanks. Do you have your cows bred or AI?

 

[francismilker]

I've always used live cover on my cattle. (except for some beef cows my kids raise show calves out of). I just usually rent a bull for about three months a year. This way, I'm not feeding him all year and my cows stay pretty well in sync to all calve out in the three month window. So far, this has worked well for me. I've never bred my mini jerseys to a mini jersey bull. I've always used a full size jersey and I've gotten very small calves out of them which is typical for most jerseys. Mine must have a particularly small strain in their bloodline, because all the calves are growing up to be minis as well. Last year I used a Milking Shorthorn bull to get some more teat length (I knew the udder confirmation history on the specific bull I was using.) and I've been very pleased with the calves. They're deep red in color. They have ever so slight black highlights on their muzzle, nose, and eartips. And, they seem to have a real good disposition with some brains. The heifers have haltar broke nicely.