Old Jersey Cows

Why Jerseys?

Naomi Fournier, the modern milkmaid, raises registered Jersey cows on Birdsong Farm. You can learn about our dairy queens by visiting the Blossom Family page, the Princess Family page, and the Fancy Family page.

My goal is to raise high-quality Jerseys.

Our Breeding Goals

~ We are breeding for type A2/A2 Beta Casein, and heifer calves are tested for Beta Casein type by six months of age. As of March 2018, 29% of our herd is A2/A2 and 71% is A1/A2.
~ We are breeding for type B/B Kappa Casein, and heifer calves are tested for Kappa Casein type by six months of age. As of March 2018, 86% of our herd is B/B and 14% is A/B.
~ Starting in 2017, all heifer calves are tested for B/B Beta Lactoglobulin by six months of age, and we retested our A2/A2 heifers from 2016 as well. As of March 2018, 50% of the tested herd is B/B, and 50% is A/B.
~ Our yearling heifers are genotyped with the LD SNP panel before breeding. (Prior to 2015, heifers were genotyped with the MD SNP panel.)
~ We are breeding for Jerseys that are negative for Jersey Haplotype 1 (JH1) and Jersey Haplotype 2 (JH2). Our Blossom family is tested negative for JH2, and our Princess and Fancier families are tested negative for JH1 and JH2.
~ The recommended inbreeding percentage for Jerseys is 7% or less; we are breeding for an inbreeding percentage of 5% or less. As of August 2017, our inbreeding percentage ranges from 3.16% to 6.33%, with an average of 4.76%.
~ Milking cows are classified annually. As of March 2018, our average classification score is 86 points, with cows ranging from VG 85 to VG 88.
~ We use a combination of Canadian and American genetics as we breed for cows that can win in the show ring and produce 25+ kilograms of milk a day with 6% butterfat and 4% protein.
~ We participate in local dairy shows, including the Interior Provincial Exhibition at the end of August/beginning of September and the North Okanagan Spring Show at the end of March/beginning of April.

All About Jerseys

The Jersey breed originated on the Island of Jersey, a small British island located in the English Channel off the coast of France. Jerseys are one of the oldest dairy breeds, and they first arrived in Canada on August 17, 1868.

Jerseys are the smallest of the six major dairy breeds, and an adult cow weighs about 400-454 kilograms (900-1,000 pounds). The average milk yield for a Canadian Jersey is 6,699 kilograms of milk at 5.1% butterfat and 3.8% protein.

Jerseys range in colour from fawn to mahogany, often with a darker face and a black switch, and every now and again you'll find one with a few white markings.

Birdsong's Favourite Cow Links

The Canadian Dairy Network has a wealth of information on individual animals, and a terrific inbreeding calculator. If you are not familiar with the CDN, check out my blog post.

I buy my leather show halters from Jensen Halters in Ontario.

Crystal Creek

Calf Cozy

Code of Practice for the care and handling of farm animals - Dairy Cattle
http://www.nfacc.ca/codes-of-practice/dairy-cattle/code

Compendium of Veterinary Products
http://cca.naccvp.com/?u=cattle&p=cca

Heiniger

This is the brand of clippers and blades that I use for clipping my cows and goats for show.

http://heiniger.com/en/home-international/products/

Birdsong's Jersey Tutorials

Searching the Canadian Dairy Network is a blog post about how to find registered Jerseys (and other breeds of dairy cattle). It gives tips for searching by registration number, name, animal tattoo, and semen code.

Tattooing Your Jersey Calf, Part I is a blog post with tips for registering your herd letters, purchasing your tattoo kit, and preparing your tattoo equipment.

Tattooing Your Jersey Calf, Part II is the second post in a two-part tutorial about tagging, with tips on preparing your calf and tattooing.

Tagging Your Jersey Calf, Part I is a blog post with tips for purchasing your tagging kit.

Tagging Your Jersey Calf, Part II gives tips for preparing your tagging equipment and calf, as well as tagging.

When is My Cow Due? (+ free printable) Jersey pregnancies are 5 days shorter than the average cow, and in this blog post you will find Birdsong Farm's custom designed gestation calendar for Jerseys. Print off a copy to keep with your breeding records.

Registering Your Jersey Calf, Part I walks you through registering your herd prefix, choosing a name for your calf, and filling out a paper registration form.

Registering Your Jersey Calf, Part II guides you through the process of registering your calf with Jersey Canada's online registration option. This option can save you time and money!

Milking Charts (+ free printable) Keep track of your cow's milk weights with a copy of the workbook that I created for my farm.

Calf or Cow? If you're thinking of buying a calf or cow for your farm, you'll want to read this post and learn about the pros and cons of each option.

Feeding Your Calf: Birth to 3 Months Learn about how to feed your calf from birth to three months and give your bovine babies the best start.