Mini/Old World Jersey

StarofHearts · #1 01/17/14, 08:49 AM

Does anyone have any experience with this breed? My husband and I are looking to educate ourselves on dairy breeds and I came across this breed and I am charmed.

We have a family of 6 just as a note for quantity of milk to be consumed. LOL

Donna from Mo · #2 01/18/14, 09:28 PM

I have no experience with mini-Jerseys. From what I have seen, they are over-priced and dwarf-looking. Just buy yourself a small Jersey someplace. Forget the "mini" aspect. However, I am always ready to admit that I could be wrong, never having owned a mini-Jersey.

StarofHearts · #3 01/18/14, 10:34 PM

The larger size was bred into the Jerseys, traditional "old world" jerseys we considerably smaller. They can still produce 2-7 gallons a day and require less food for their output. For a small time homestead they are kind of perfect. A larger cow that I will have to spend considerably more on feeding defeats the purpose of having a dairy cow, spending less than 3.50 for 1 stinking gallon of milk.

txplowgirl · #4 01/18/14, 10:54 PM

I don't have a cow but am hoping maybe 1 day. Anyway, I came across this forum where you might be able to get some info.

Some of these ladies have Jerseys.

http://familycow.proboards.com

kycrawler · #5 01/19/14, 10:41 AM

We have a small jersey herd to raise bottle calves with . All of my jerseys are out of amish /mennonite lines . In my opinion mini jerseys are an over priced fad . Jersey heifers can be bought at breeding age for $4-500 if you know where to look and i just sold 4 springer jersey heifers for $900 each the prices asked for some of the mini jerseys are crazy . My cows weigh in the average of 650-700 lbs most milk about 4 gallons a day on some grain and good hay . I would personally rather have an average holstein jersey cross with a good personality for a family cow than any mini jersey If you time the auctions right the crossbred springer cows can be bought very cheap I have bought some in the 4-500 range bred and ready to calve . So i guess my advice would be to worry more about the cow than the breed

StarofHearts · #6 01/19/14, 10:23 PM

Okay... Asking for actual experience with the animals not opinions about cost. If the animals in general are sound then I am interested in them whatever the cost. I know they run expensive $2000-$5000, but at 400lbs with a 2-7 gallon a day out put the money I'd save in feed alone would make them comparable to a full size.

Farmer Jayne · #7 01/20/14, 12:44 PM

Ok, I've owned one mini jersey and one mini jersey-dexter cross. Neither of them survived. They are the only cows I've lost that weren't bottle babies. The mini jersey was prone to worms and seemed to pick up every parasite and infection around. I raised her with a jersey heifer and a brown swiss bull calf and they are still fine and have always been healthy. It could be that she was just a "poor doer" and it had nothing to do with her being a mini.
The jersey dexter cross was very hardy and healthy. We bred her at 18 months to a mini bull known for siring small calves. She didn't survive the birth even with the vet's help. The calf ended up all twisted inside of her with it's head back and the heifer was so small they couldn't get it turned around or even use the fetal-tome (sp) on it.
The closest I will get to a mini now is a Dexter. It could have been bad luck or the mini's had special needs we weren't able to deal with. I am sure there are people out there who have had better luck, but I would not recommend them.

StarofHearts · #8 01/20/14, 01:55 PM

Thank you Farmer Jayne! That is helpful, it gives me a few questions to ask a breeder should I decide to look at one.

Oakshire_Farm · #9 01/20/14, 05:14 PM

I have 3 Jersey cows and I cross them to my dexter bull. They make a wonderful cross! I have a waiting list of people looking for small family milk cows.

The oldest calves I have sold are pregnant with their second calves, they are a small cow, standing 42" tall and with the calves on them 50% or the time and being milked once a day they are giving 5-7lt of milk per day!

kycrawler · #10 01/20/14, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarofHearts

Okay... Asking for actual experience with the animals not opinions about cost. If the animals in general are sound then I am interested in them whatever the cost. I know they run expensive $2000-$5000, but at 400lbs with a 2-7 gallon a day out put the money I'd save in feed alone would make them comparable to a full size.

Ok bear with my math here for a minute say you can buy a big 800 lb jersey cow for $500 or a 400 lb mini for $2500 the differance is $2000 and 400 lbs 3% per body weight dry matter consumption on 400 lb differance is 12 lbs of feed x 365 days per year 4380 lbs of dry matter at $145 per ton means it costs $317 dollars more per year to feed the big girl so in 6.3 years your mini jersey costs the same as feeding a full size jersey . What the numbers dont show is that the larger cow will produce more milk in that time period on equivalent feed
expecting 3+ gallons per day from a mini jersey on average feed isnt going to work

haypoint · #11 01/20/14, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarofHearts

Okay... Asking for actual experience with the animals not opinions about cost. If the animals in general are sound then I am interested in them whatever the cost. I know they run expensive $2000-$5000, but at 400lbs with a 2-7 gallon a day out put the money I'd save in feed alone would make them comparable to a full size.

Please bear with us, StarofHearts, there's a wealth of experience here and you'll get a lot of answers for questions you didn't ask and many you didn't know enough to ask. You can't put the stinkin price of a gallon of milk in a post and then not expect to get dollar and sense answers. Just the way people think.
I find it amusing when people that know nothing about milk cows want to get something obscure. Like those that have cattle somehow overlooked the most obvious choice. If it were more economical to have mini- Jerseys, wouldn't everyone have been raising them?
There is a great sense of satisfaction having your own milk cow. But the buying one, keeping her fed, bred, milked, needed Vet care, bedding, shelter, you might not be saving any money. Ever been tied down to an every 12 hour milking schedule? As you exit a 310 day milking cycle, that milk at $3.50 starts sounding reasonable, if not too cheap.
I doubt there would be a great feed difference between a high producing mini-Jersey and a low producing standard Jersey. But, that is just my opinion and you didn't ask for that.

Awnry Abe · #12 01/20/14, 10:04 PM

StarofHearts, I'll go way out on a limb and assume that we are cut out of the same cloth. At least I see and agree with your point of view. That being said, you will need to mini-ize the whole operation. I tend to overlook such details until it is too late and find myself scrambling for breeding stock at the last minute. Being surrounded by a big-beef world, I opted for dairy cows that were a bit bigger so I could breed them with the bull I use for beef, which is a little easier to come by. One of my three girls, that first-freshened last march with a difficult calving, didn't mature like I had hoped and now I have a bit of anxiety about this March. I'm praying for an early heifer. Her two pasture mates did mature like I had hoped, but they weren't of concern to begin with.

I wish you well in any event. We are first year rookies and are absolutely loving the family dairy cow experience. I don't think you'll have a problem coming up with enough milk for a family of 6, except maybe on days when a batch of fresh brownies is made!

cedarcreekranch · #13 01/20/14, 11:20 PM

I have 3 Jersey cows, 2 were bottle babies from a dairy and 3rd is about 40" tall, so a larger mini. The one larger Jersey has been so touchy after she calves, prone to milk fever, and hard to keep weight on but she is such a sweet cow I can't bear to sell her. The other 2 have both been easy keepers, raised several bottle calves each, and are nice tempered cows. I can't say there's anything inherently wrong with minis if my little one is any example. But I't think twice about shelling out thousands of dollars for one.

SueMc · #14 01/21/14, 05:56 AM

I don't have an opinion on the breed but thought you might like this website:
http://minijerseysbydexter.homestead.com/index.html
He apparently is a well known breeder and appears to have beautiful little jerseys. He could give you all the pros and cons of owning mini's plus a very accurate idea of pounds of milk/cow/day. I've thought about visiting as he lives about 45 miles from me. I love my Guernseys and don't mind their medium size so would not be interested in "trading down" (just a joke!).
I've also seen a mini jersey herd near Arthur, IL in case you're close enough to Central IL to shop for your cows around here. I could get contact info for that farm if you're interested. I frequent an Amish dairy supply store and the owner knows about everyone in the area with a cow.

StarofHearts · #15 01/21/14, 08:58 AM

Thank you guys for your honest opinions. I kind of feel like some people aren't giving helpful opinions, if all you tell me is that they are expensive it is not helpful. I am aware they are more expensive and it just comes across as snotty and rude. It makes me want too leave this forum because I feel like my question was ignored and I was spoken down to.

OakShire: Thank you! Very helpful information, I hadn't heard of the dexter jersey cross before. How big (lbs) do they get?

Kycrawler: That math is very helpful!! I've never owned a cow so I have no idea how much they cost (on average) to feed, I just know that a smaller animal eats less. lol I know that full size cows will likely produce more, I just don't know how much I'll be able to use, if I get a full size cow who is producing 10 gallons a day I'm going to have a huge over abundance of milk, there is only so much butter and cheese I can make after all. That is why I was interested in the mini to begin with, plus with the animal being smaller she should be easier to handle for some one with no experience.

Haypoint: I have 4 kids, the amount of milk my family can go through in a week is obscene. LOL But I still think that a full size cow would produce too much for us to handle.

Awnry: Most breeders that I have looked at know that stock is few and far between so they offer AI straws and usually sell a large number from many unrelated bulls so that wouldn't be to bad as long as I remembered to order the straws on time LOL.

Cedar: The one cow sounds like she's a little hormonal after she calves (I feel her pain).

Sue: AWESOME! Thank you! <3

haypoint · #16 01/21/14, 09:24 AM

Sorry that the replies sounded like you didn't know what you were getting into. Open discussions can be like that. I wish you all the luck in the world finding the elusive ideal family cow.

SueMc · #17 01/21/14, 10:36 AM

Star, I don't think anyone was trying to be mean. Stick around and you'll find people here are very, very helpful and encouraging in whatever endeavors you ask about!
I'm pretty thick skinned but I would puff up like a poison toad sometimes when Haypoint would say some things especially about raw milk, but he adds a lot to many discussions and we all have an opinion. Plus I respect anyone who sticks with what he/she says when others are fighting back!
Besides, he can build a good looking barn and will share how to do it!

Something else to think about regarding mini's is how close to the ground you're going to have to go to milk one of those little girls!

StarofHearts · #18 01/21/14, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SueMc

Star, I don't think anyone was trying to be mean. Stick around and you'll find people here are very, very helpful and encouraging in whatever endeavors you ask about!
I'm pretty thick skinned but I would puff up like a poison toad sometimes when Haypoint would say some things especially about raw milk, but he adds a lot to many discussions and we all have an opinion. Plus I respect anyone who sticks with what he/she says when others are fighting back!
Besides, he can build a good looking barn and will share how to do it!

Something else to think about regarding mini's is how close to the ground you're going to have to go to milk one of those little girls!

I'm not hurt, just irritated. I don't care if people think it's an expensive animal, I care about the quality of the breed. :P

The sites that I have visited before have said that they train their minis to use a milk stand like a Goat.

Awnry Abe · #19 01/21/14, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarofHearts

I'm not hurt, just irritated. I don't care if people think it's an expensive animal, I care about the quality of the breed. :P

The sites that I have visited before have said that they train their minis to use a milk stand like a Goat.

Now, that would be a luxury! One of these days, I am going to bend down to attach the claw and never get back up!

StarofHearts · #20 01/21/14, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Awnry Abe

Now, that would be a luxury! One of these days, I am going to bend down to attach the claw and never get back up!

I don't see why you couldn't train a full size cow to use one as long as it's built sturdily enough.