The Jersey breed is a specialist dairy breed.
It distinguishes itself by its typical brown colour and black feet. The mature liveweight of Jersey cows is significantly less than that of other breeds. It has higher solids milk content and produces more per kg of liveweight.
Jerseys
- produce more milkfat per unit of feed
- are more productive from less stress and injury
- are fast to milk
- have approximately half as many cases of mastitis as those of heavier breeds
- do less pugging damage due to weight
- are most tolerant to once-a-day milking
- cycle about a week faster from each calving
- are significantly more fertile under high-stocked systems New Zealand
- have a 39% greater volume of rumen, 18% greater DM intake and 20% faster passage of DM—yet have the same efficiency of digestions (extract energy from DM as efficiently)*
*World Jersey Cattle Bureau
Jersey population
New Zealand has the largest population of Jerseys in the world with over 900,000 Jerseys of all ages. At November 2015 there are 887,000 milking Jersey cows in the national herd of 5.0 million milking cows (17%).
Summary of facts – Jerseys =
- Productive
- Efficient Leaders in BW
- Profitable
- Solid protein
- High fertility
- Calving ease
- Longevity
Research Summary
The following table is a summary of research findings over time from around New Zealand and around the world and includes other observations about the advantages Jerseys offer over other breeds of dairy cattle.
| FACTOR | JERSEY | OTHER BREEDS | COMMENT |
| Energy to Milk Fat | 40% | 31% | Jerseys produce more milkfat per unit of feed |
| Energy to Lactose | 13% | 15% | Less Lactose also means less volume resulting in less charges for volume under a manufacturing dairy industry. |
| Total Milk Energy | 69% | 61% | A significant difference – 13% |
| Energy to Maintenance | 28% | 33% | Jerseys take less to maintain |
| Energy to Weight Gain | 2% | 6% | Jerseys divert energy to milk rather than carcass size and weight. |
| Ratio of Milk energy to Maintenance | 2.46 | 1.85 | 33% advantage to Jersey |
| Breed Comparison trials |
Jersey – The Most Profitable & Sustainable Cow
Commissioned by Jersey Australia, ‘Jersey – The Most Profitable & Sustainable Cow’ was prepared in 2021 by Dr Steve Little, Principal Consultant, Capacity+ Ag Consulting. The desktop economic modelling of Jerseys vs Holstein Friesians in Australian dairy production systems was produced by Scott Barnett.
Jersey-The-Most-Profitable-Sustainable-Cow-Article
Report reproduced courtesy of Jersey Australia.