Jersey cattle are a small, honey-brown breed of dairy cattle. Originally bred on the British Channel Island of Jersey, the breed is popular for the high butterfat content of its milk and the lower maintenance costs incurred by its lower bodyweight, as well as its genial disposition. Possibly the best known example of the breed outside the United Kingdom is Elsie the Cow, the famous mascot of Borden, Inc.. Her face appears on cans of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, cheeses, fresh and shelf stable milk.
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The Jersey cow is quite small, ranging from only 800 to 1200 pounds (360 to 540 kg). The main factor contributing to the popularity of the breed has been their greater economy of production, due to:
[1] Bulls are also small, ranging from 1200 to 1800 pounds (540 to 820 kg), and are notoriously very aggressive.
Castrated males can be trained into fine oxen which, due to their small size and gentle nature make them popular with young teamsters. Jersey oxen are not as strong as larger breeds however and are generally out of favor among competitive teamsters.
Due to the small size, docile and inquisitive character and attractive features of the Jersey cow, small herds were imported into England by aristocratic landowners as adornment for aestheticly landscaped parks.
Jerseys are adaptable to hot climates and are bred in the hottest parts of Brazil.
As its name implies, the Jersey was bred on the British Channel Island of Jersey. It apparently descended from cattle stock brought over from the nearby Norman mainland, and was first recorded as a separate breed around 1700.
Frank Falle has speculated[2] (on the basis of DNA evidence) that the oldest settlers in Jersey were Danish vikings who had been to Nantes with Hatain, where it is recorded that tribute was given by the King of France to Hatain of 500 cattle to leave that area, whereupon they settled in the Normandy area. The marked resemblance between Jersey cattle and the Nantaise cow would seem to bear this [3]
While the breed is isolated from outside influence today, this was not always the case. Before 1789 cows would be given as dowry for inter-island marriages between Jersey and Guernsey[4]. This was, however, not widespread.
In 1789, imports of foreign cattle into Jersey were forbidden by law to maintain the purity of the breed, although exports of cattle and semen have been an important economic resource for the island. The restriction on the import of cattle was initially introduced in 1789 to prevent a collapse in the export price. The United Kingdom levied no import duty on cattle imported from Jersey. Cattle were being shipped from France to Jersey and then being shipped onward to England to circumvent the tariff on French cattle. The increase in the supply of cattle, sometimes of inferior quality, was bringing the price down and damaging the reputation of Jersey cattle. The import ban stabilised the price and enabled a more scientifically controlled programme of breeding to be undertaken.
Sir John Le Couteur studied selective breeding and became a Fellow of the Royal Society - his work led to the establishment of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society in 1833. At that time, the breed displayed greater variation than it does today with white, dark brown and mulberry beasts. However, since the honey-brown cows sold best the breed was developed accordingly. In 1860 1,138 cows were exported via England, the average price being £16 per head. By 1910 over a thousand head were exported annually to the United States alone. It is now the fastest growing dairy breed in the world.
On 1866, at the Annual General Meeting of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society, H.G. Shepard notes in his history[5] that "it was resolved - on the motion of Col. Le Couteur, that the Hon. Secretary be hereby invited to open and to carry on a "herd book" in which the pedigree of bulls, cows and heifers shall be entered for reference to all the members of the Society.". In 1869 for the first time prizes were awarded at the Society's Shows for Herd Book Stock Cattle.
The States of Jersey took a census of stock in 1866, and Jersey then supported 12,037 head of cattle, of which 611 were bulls, and no fewer than 6,322 pigs and 517 sheep. This was before the motor age and 3,227 horses were kept, Saint Helier being responsible for 888.
In July 2008, the States of Jersey took the historic step of ending the ban on imports, and allowing the import of bull semen from any breed of cattle, although only semen that is genetically pure will enable the resultant progeny to be entered in the Jersey Herd Book.
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