Why do Dairy's breed Holstien's to Jerseys? The resulting Bull calves aren't worth anything in my area. I'm just wondering if the heifer's are? Or what the reasoning is behind it. I'm just really curious. Not knocking it.
Why Holstien Jersey Cross?
- Thread starter Hereford2
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SBMF 2015
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HoJo's are supposed to have higher butter fat content in their milk. Typically Holsteins produce larger volume of milk and Jerseys produce higher quality milk.
Dave
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It is also is calving ease for heifers that will produce a heifer that can be retained in the dairy herd. As for the bull calves, they aren't as good as a straight Holstein but better than a Jersey bull calf.
farmerjan
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@Dave has it in a nutshell. Many are breeding their hol heifers to jersey for the calving ease. You can push the envelope and get them calving a little younger to get them into the milking string younger too since the calves are just small..... Most calves come out black or dark brown or mostly black with white blotches.... and the bulls are worth a bit more than straight jersey bull calves.
There was a big push for the cross for awhile as most jerseys are smaller and more active for grazing so it was believed that the cross would give you a cow that would produce more like the holstein, the jersey would contribute higher butterfat and components, and they would be more moderate sized and would be better grazers. The one thing that they didn't know, and has been proven; is the combination gives you udders that do not have the central and rear ligament support and they break down more and faster than either breed purebred. Most do not last as long in the dairies as they would if bred straight.
Also, the combination has often been known to give some higher strung and not great dispositions. In my opinion, after seeing hundreds on different dairies, they get the worst from both breeds with an attitude that really sucks. Not all, I have several 1/2 jersey 1/2 holsteins . Several tend to be higher strung.... and I raised these from both hol cows and jersey cows, bred to the opposite breed bulls. Several that I have are great and are good nurse cows.... but the straight jerseys and the jersey crosses with guernsey or lineback or montbeliarde or swedish/norweigan reds are better dispositioned. I have 6 now that are jer/hol, 2 straight jersey, 1 jer/montbeliarde, 1 jer/guernsey, 1 that is out of a jer(sire) on a 3 way cross cow..... I do not breed any back holstein.... they get bred back jersey or guernsey or angus.
There was a big push for the cross for awhile as most jerseys are smaller and more active for grazing so it was believed that the cross would give you a cow that would produce more like the holstein, the jersey would contribute higher butterfat and components, and they would be more moderate sized and would be better grazers. The one thing that they didn't know, and has been proven; is the combination gives you udders that do not have the central and rear ligament support and they break down more and faster than either breed purebred. Most do not last as long in the dairies as they would if bred straight.
Also, the combination has often been known to give some higher strung and not great dispositions. In my opinion, after seeing hundreds on different dairies, they get the worst from both breeds with an attitude that really sucks. Not all, I have several 1/2 jersey 1/2 holsteins . Several tend to be higher strung.... and I raised these from both hol cows and jersey cows, bred to the opposite breed bulls. Several that I have are great and are good nurse cows.... but the straight jerseys and the jersey crosses with guernsey or lineback or montbeliarde or swedish/norweigan reds are better dispositioned. I have 6 now that are jer/hol, 2 straight jersey, 1 jer/montbeliarde, 1 jer/guernsey, 1 that is out of a jer(sire) on a 3 way cross cow..... I do not breed any back holstein.... they get bred back jersey or guernsey or angus.
farmerjan
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Sexed semen is more than twice the cost and unless the cow is really good, with the surplus of replacements in the country, not worth the cost since there is also only a 30-40% conception rate on average. That of course depends alot on catching them in heat at the right time and the technicians ability..... Holstein replacement springing heifers here are lucky to bring 1200. It costs more than that to raise them up to 2 yrs springing.... and there are many that don't bring 1,000. So, breeding the top 25% to sexed semen makes sense. There are several dairies breeding the lower half to a beef breed. The baby calves bring more.... especially if they are black in this area. Plus this time of year around here, a black crossbred calf will bring a good price if there are beef farmers who have lost a calf and want to get one grafted on a cow so she doesn't lose the lactation. They won't bring as much as a straight beef calf.... but will make enough to pay for the cow's keep for the year and better than her not raising a calf at all.
Buck Randall
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Jan pretty much nailed it. Around here I hardly see Holstein/Jersey crosses any more. Sexed semen and genomics have made it pretty easy to get calving ease on heifers with Holstein bulls, and putting dairy cows on pasture is going the way of the dinosaur. Some guys were using it for the improved reproduction with heterosis, but improvements to synchronization programs and overall health have mostly eliminated the need.
Hereford2
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Thank you all for the reply's. Calving ease makes sense. In my area jersey calves are going for $50 to $75, and Holstien calves are going for $75 to $125, and the Holstien/jersey cross calves are going for $30 to $75. Most that I have seen are for $30. That's what got me wondering, besides my experience with selling them, has been that when I sell them at 8 months old i get $5 to $10 more than I paid for them as 3 day old. At the sale barn.
farmerjan
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Jersey and jer x calves make great beef. That is basically all I have had in my freezer for 40 years. Partially because they don't bring much . Jersey baby bull calves here MIGHT bring $20 if you are real lucky. Most are $5-10 or even giveaway.
Holstein feeder steers here in the 550-800 lb range are bringing right around 1.00-1.08 way more than they have brought in years. Used to be that you could figure $.50 - .65 average. Don't raise them to sell at the sale barn... raise them for your own beef.
Holstein feeder steers here in the 550-800 lb range are bringing right around 1.00-1.08 way more than they have brought in years. Used to be that you could figure $.50 - .65 average. Don't raise them to sell at the sale barn... raise them for your own beef.
SBMF 2015
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Before Covid I was at a beef producers lunch in. They had a dairy farmer speak for part of the lecture. He milked 800 Jerseys and was part of a group that milked 20,000 cows.
He said that after Tyson stopped killing Holsteins, dairy bull calf prices dropped to $10. He said it was cheaper to knock them in the head than deal with them.
He figured that in the next ten years the co-op that he was a part of won't have a bull calf born, thanks to sexed semen.
He said that after Tyson stopped killing Holsteins, dairy bull calf prices dropped to $10. He said it was cheaper to knock them in the head than deal with them.
He figured that in the next ten years the co-op that he was a part of won't have a bull calf born, thanks to sexed semen.
Hereford2
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We used to raise jersey steers for beef, on grass no grain it took 3 year's. Then I took over raising the beef we eat and I put them in a small pen and poured the grain to them. I had a straight angus beef calf and a jersey calf in the same pen with 2 different troughs same amount and kind of Grain, I fed them both for 6 months, after 6 months the beef went from weighing 500 pounds to 1'100 lbs, the jersey went from 300 to 550 lbs... I sold the jersey private party to a guy, and I am raising beef calves for the table and I will butcher an old Jersey cow, when their productive life is over. Just my experience with Jerseys. I've raised Holstien a time or two and they do much better than a jersey.
Stocker Steve
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Direction here has been a 3 way bull rotation using Holstein, Swedish Red, Montbeliarde. Benefits are higher fertility and longevity, which more than offsets the lower production compared to straight bred Holstein.
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farmerjan
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I like the taste and the leaness of the jersey beef. I do rotational grazing. I leave the calves on the nurse cows for 8-10 months and only raise one set of calves (usually 3-4) per cow per lactation, now so that I don't have to feed alot of grain. They are eating hay good by the time they are weaned. I am not looking for fat cattle. I am fine with killing them at 25-30 months. They are finished well without alot of costly inputs. But everyone has their preferences. The calves would not be worth selling, and I get requests for jersey beef occasionally, so it works out. They are consistent in taste and tenderness if killed before 3 years.
farmerjan
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The reds and montbeliarde both give more "body" to the calves as well as still being good milkers. The hybrid vigor does show up. The mont cross cows will get downright fat on silage and still milk well without all the problems of a straight bred holstein. Those cross bull calves grow like the dickens.... most are red so not good in a "black " cattle area.... and they tend to trend in the 4% butterfat range too.
Stocker Steve
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Jersey cross is not popular here. Do see some Brown Swiss x Holstein, and a few Fleck x Holstein. Any input on these?
farmerjan
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Holstein bull calves did drop here to $25 and they were "a dime a dozen" for awhile. But there must be someone new that is killing them because they have gone way up in prices for these 7-9 wt steers. One of my dairy farmer's raises all his holstein bull calves up and he sold some a month ago for 1.02 and his neighbor just sold over 40 in the 8 wt range for 1.08.... I have actually put 2 of my other farmers on to the buyer so that maybe they can hit a homerun on their steers.
farmerjan
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I have had 3 swiss hol crosses.... never again. Attitudes of not wanting to do what I want when I want.... not wanting to "live" if they have any problems.... real wusses..... Swiss are known for their independent stubborness.... I love to look at them but don't want any. Calves are a real trick to get started.... you NEVER EVER want them to suck a cow then try to put them on a bottle. They will starve themselves to death... It is an actual syndrome that the swiss breeders talk about. I have 3 farmers that have swiss.... they are too "needy" in my book.
farmerjan
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Swiss steers take too long to finish. One reason the feedlots that were feeding dairy steers do not want them. And every one I have killed (steers) has been tough on my mostly grazing program. Give me a jersey or jer x, any day.
Hereford2
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Swiss steers take about 18 months to finish or less depending on how big you want them. And the meat is fork tender, they are also the most gentle of all the breeds I have been around. Also some are hard to start on the bottle after being on a cow some aren't, the only calf I haven't been able to get to take a bottle was a jersey..
