Identify Jersey Cattle
This is an in-depth guide of identifying Jersey cattle. Jersey cattle are the second-most common breed of dairy cattle in North America. They originate from the British Crown-dependent Isle of Jersey, which is located off the coast of France.
Contents
Steps
- Do a search on the Internet in a Cattle Breeds book for "Jerseys."
- Study the characteristics of the breed. Note the following:
- Colouration: Jersey cattle coat colour ranges from a light fawn to almost black. Some Jerseys may have white on them, from diamond-shaped patches on their shoulders or hips, to white legs and a stripe from the top of the shoulder down to behind the elbows. Black Jerseys almost always has a tan-coloured saddle in the middle of their backs, from the withers to the top of the loins. They also have lighter colouration around their noses and eyes, and on the inside of each leg. A lot of fawn-coloured mature cattle have a darker face from just below their poll or just above their eye-brows to just before their noses. There will often be lighter colouration around their eyes and noses. Bulls often have darker colouration from the base of their heads to their shoulders. All Jerseys have dark eyes and dark pigmented skin around their eyes and their noses. They also have black hooves and a dark tail-switch. Those dark noses and dark eyes in Jersey calves make them look adorably cute, much more so than any other bovine calf of any other breed.
- Body type and characteristics: Jerseys look to be more finer-boned and bodied than most any beef breed or even Holsteins. Just like Holsteins, though, Jerseys are quite angular in body type because they are selected to be a milk-producer and not a beef-producer. They have the same funnel butt characteristics that Holsteins have, and are quite thin and bony as well. Jerseys are a lot smaller than Holsteins though, a bit more than half the size, with a mature weight of only around 1000 lbs for cows and only 1500 lbs for bulls. Jersey cows have a large udder on them to accommodate for the demand for producing more milk than their calves would normally receive.
- Head characteristics: Jersey cows are very feminine looking animals, with a finer, more feminine head than Hereford or Angus cows, with a similar head-shape (though a little less robust) as Shorthorn cows do. Jerseys are a naturally horned breed, though there are genetics for polled cattle as well.
- Other characteristics: Jersey cows are quiet and very pretty animals, but are often known to have quite the sassy-girl attitude at milking time! This is because they are known to be kickers when you're trying to prepare their udders before milking, or just when you're trying to milk them out. But, even though they are notorious kickers, they have milk that is more rich in butterfat than any other dairy cow, which is great to use for dairy products like cheese, butter, and ice cream. Jersey bulls are infamous for their aggressiveness and unpredictability, and are often more dangerous to handle and be around than even Holstein bulls.
- Memorize the details and characteristics of this breed.
- Go on a field trip or road trip and see if you can find farms and ranches with Jersey cattle. Take pictures of what you thought were Jersey cattle, and compare them with pictures of Jerseys on the Internet and in your Cattle breeds book.
Tips
- The dark eyes and nose of Jerseys, along with their fawn-colouration will make it easy to distinguish from other breeds.
- Jerseys are not to be confused with Guernseys. Though both names sound the same, they are two entirely different dairy cattle. Guernseys do not have the fawn colouration nor the dark eyes, nose, hooves and tail switch that Jerseys have, and are more brown than fawn, and have more white on them than a typical Jersey would.
Warnings
- Jersey bulls are extremely dangerous and are certainly not to be trusted when visiting a herd of Jersey or dairy cows with a bull in the midst.
