Jersey Steer Calf

[Draagyn]

Looking for advice on what to feed our 3 month old jersey steer calf. He is weened off milk and has been on 18% medicated dairy calf starter for over a month. This feed says to only feed up to 3 months of age. The next step is a 16% medicated dairy calf developer, but I want to get away from medicated as soon as possible. His grain is supplemented with hay. Any suggestions on what to feed him at 3 months? Also most the cattle grains I see are separated between dairy and beef, even though he is a dairy breed, should I feed him beef grain as that's what he is being used for? Thanks.

 

[RSKY]

Jersey is the best beef. By far.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Looking for advice on what to feed our 3 month old jersey steer calf. He is weened off milk and has been on 18% medicated dairy calf starter for over a month. This feed says to only feed up to 3 months of age. The next step is a 16% medicated dairy calf developer, but I want to get away from medicated as soon as possible. His grain is supplemented with hay. Any suggestions on what to feed him at 3 months? Also most the cattle grains I see are separated between dairy and beef, even though he is a dairy breed, should I feed him beef grain as that's what he is being used for? Thanks.

This post really caught my eye, and there's a story behind it. I don't know if I have ever eaten beef from a Jersey steer, but I am told it's good. I'm also told that they are not as an efficient meat producer as say an Angus or a Hereford, meaning of course that the meat from a Jersey will probably cost you more to produce than from a beef breed.

Back to the story. I recall my Dad saying that back during the depression and the hard time farmers had, that you could buy all of the Jersey Bull calves that you wanted for 50 cents apiece. You can't even buy a soup bone for that today.

 

[prichard]

Well I imagine you have a hard time getting milk or of that jersey

 

[M5farms]

any quality beef feed is fine at least 16% protein , start him on 1.5% of his body weight in feed gradually uping it till you get to 3% , free choice hay and water. jersey is slow to mature it will take some time to get to slaughter weight

 

[roadhunter]

I know the bulls dont bring much at the sale barn so hopefully it's cheap beef.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I can't really answer your question because I only buy caves after there on full grass but I also hear great things about jersey's meat quality.

I'm new into cattle, I have 3 right now, two cross jersey/beef and one full blood jersey steer, by far the jersey is the most aggressive, I call him the ninja cow because literally if you turn your back to him he will horn you, you have to always watch him and push him away, it's kinda annoying but I'm not in there to play with my cattle so I'm not in there long.

When he's older watch out for that.

My first steer goes in the 24th of Jan.

 

[Bird]

Jersey is the best beef. By far.

How about a half breed Jersey?:laughing: When I was a kid, we always had a Jersey milk cow, usually bred to a Hereford bull, and that was the calf we slaughtered for our beef.

 

[RSKY]

My mother would buy the little bulls from a local dairy farmer and we would take them by the vet to get them cut before we took them home. Always had Angus, Herford, or another type raising to sell but always killed a Jersey for the freezer. They will not put on as much weight per 100/lb. of feed but the meat is better. Has a slight amount of marbling in it and is very tender. Anything else slaughtered at 600-800 pounds but a Jersey could be bigger and not tough.

RSKY

 

[EddieWalker]

Interesting. I never even thought about raising dairy breeds for eating. It also never crossed my mind what you do with the boy dairy cattle. And what they would taste like. I see them for sale all the time, but just dismissed them because they are dairy cattle. Now I'm feeling really silly!!!!

 

[KYErik]

I was raised around angus cattle and showed an angus heifer back when I was in 4H (dad and I had to train her to lead which was a BIG production). A few years ago I got a jersey milk cow. I was amazed at how gentle she was. She had never worn a halter but she hardly struggled at all when it was first put on her- and it just took a little tugging to teach her to lead. Not sure if all jerseys are that calm and docile, but I was impressed with how easy going she was.

 

[prichard]

Interesting. I never even thought about raising dairy breeds for eating. It also never crossed my mind what you do with the boy dairy cattle. And what they would taste like. I see them for sale all the time, but just dismissed them because they are dairy cattle. Now I'm feeling really silly!!!!

Same here. I spent a lot of time around dairy farmers in WI and never thought about it.

 

[grsthegreat]

McDonalds uses mostly dairy beef.... if that means anything.

 

[ultrarunner]

Mom's side are Dairy farmers going back generations...

A few week ago my brother got a 3 week and 5 week old calves... girl and a boy.

The 4H farmer he is friends with brought them over to the Christmas Tree Farm and they have been a huge hit with the kids/families buying trees.

The boy is like a big brown puppy... very attentive and love to be petted...

Farm bought him at auction only a few days old for $25... no other bids.

He is now 7 weeks and likes a mixture of formula, grass and hay... loves grass the most.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I just picked this guy up today, it's a red Angus and jersey cross about 8 months old steer and around 400lbs

Jersey steers and bulls can be a bit more aggressive than beef breeds in my very limited experience

 

[Bird]

I was raised around angus cattle and showed an angus heifer back when I was in 4H (dad and I had to train her to lead which was a BIG production). A few years ago I got a jersey milk cow. I was amazed at how gentle she was. She had never worn a halter but she hardly struggled at all when it was first put on her- and it just took a little tugging to teach her to lead. Not sure if all jerseys are that calm and docile, but I was impressed with how easy going she was.

My dad bought a Jersey milk cow named Popeye when I was 5 years old. She was just a big pet for me and dad, but mother hated that cow because the cow always wanted to fight her for reasons unknown. Dad talked to the guy he bought Popeye from and the guy said the only thing he could think of was that Popeye had never seen a woman in skirts. His wife wore pants, which was a bit unusual in those days. My mother always wore a dress. Dad spent one night a week in Oklahoma City on his job, so mother had to do the milking that night and the next morning. So I'd take Popeye in the barn, put the feed in her trough, then stand there by her neck and pet her so she couldn't turn her head and see behind her while mother would come in, sit down, do the milking, get up and leave.

So dad got old Popeye bred to a Jersey bull and got lucky with a heifer calf that we named Sweetpea. As soon as Sweetpea grew up, had her first calf, and became our milk cow, dad sold Popeye, much to mother's relief. And Sweetpea was always a family pet, and a very good milk cow. And of course I took over the job of doing the milking when I was 10.

 

[showcattle]

Interesting. I never even thought about raising dairy breeds for eating. It also never crossed my mind what you do with the boy dairy cattle. And what they would taste like. I see them for sale all the time, but just dismissed them because they are dairy cattle. Now I'm feeling really silly!!!!

All cattle eventually end up as beef cattle.

 

[showcattle]

View attachment 492377

View attachment 492378

I just picked this guy up today, it's a red Angus and jersey cross about 8 months old steer and around 400lbs

Jersey steers and bulls can be a bit more aggressive than beef breeds in my very limited experience

Never ever trust a bull of dairy breeding.