by Kim Sharpe

Created on: November 19, 2008

The Jersey is the second leading milk producing cow in the United States. Their production is 3.9 percent of of the milk consumed in the Us. This averages to 53 gallons of milk per day. Overall the Jersey will produce 13 times its weight in milk each lactation. They must have a calf in order to begin production. Of all the dairy cows the Jersey has the sweetest, richest milk containing the highest levels of protein and butterfat.

This bred of cow is a very docile and intelligent when dealing with the females. You will normally find them in the hotter area's of of the United States because they tolerate heat far better then any other dairy cow. Texas is one of the hot states which claims the highest population of Jersey cows. They are excellent grazers and will spend up to six hours a day happily grazing and eight hours chewing their cud in bliss. During this time period they will stand and lay down up to 14 times per which is quite common in cows of all breeds and necessitates digestion.

The Jersey breed of cow orginated in 1763 on the Island of Jersey which sits off the coast of France in the English Channel. In those days the Jersey was often called called the Alderney. In the 1850 they were finally brought to United States where they quickly gained popularity and became a favorite on American farms across the nation.

When it comes to coloring the Jersey comes in a wide array. Grey, red, white, or even rarely black run the gamut. However, the belly and underside of the Jersey always remains light. Their skin pigment is black. All Jersey's will have a rich black nose surrounded by a bit of white fur. No matter the color they tend to be darker about the hips. And they have truly lovely eyes which are quite large and will melt hearts. They are relatively small in size for a cow. Their average weight is only 800 to 1200 pounds.

The bull of this breed tend to be extremely muscular. They also tend to be more dangerous then other breeds of cattle and should never be trusted.

These cows are renowned for their ease in calving. This makes it possible to cross bred then with much larger breeds without fear of problems during birthing.

The Jersey is found across the world. The flourish in many countries. Africa, New Zealand, Denmark, Canada, the United States, Australia, and the UK all have large populations of Jersey. However, the United States and Africa lead for the most Jersey's.

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