Why do so many owners love Jersey cows? How are they different from other breeds of cows? What secret weapon does this breed have, and what weak points have been found in such cows. You will learn about these and other features of the Jersey breed of cows by watching this video. The Jersey breed is currently the second largest breed in the world after the Holstein breed, and its population is growing rapidly due to the fact that with less need for living space, less feed consumption (lower feeding costs, which make up 60% of the cost of milk), the Jersey breed shows a feed conversion rate that is 30% higher than the Holstein breed, and its milk is valued at least 20% higher than the milk of other breeds. Inbreeding was widely used in breeding, as a result of which a tender, dry, often overdeveloped constitution was fixed in the breed. Jersey cattle became widely known as highly productive, and in the early 19th century they began to be exported to England and the USA, and later to Australia, New Zealand and Africa. Jersey bulls are used in crossbreeding with dairy cows to increase milk fat content. The breed is bred in England, the USA, Denmark, New Zealand, Canada, France and Australia. Jersey cattle were imported to Russia in very small quantities at the end of the 19th century, but no traces of the animals' import remained. In 1947, breeding material was imported from Denmark to farms in the Leningrad, Moscow, Ryazan and Novgorod regions of the USSR. Jersey bulls were used for crossbreeding with black-and-white cattle. The crossbreeds obtained from such crossbreeding had slightly lower weight and milk yield, but higher milk fat content compared to black-and-white animals. Currently, interest in the Jersey breed has grown again. From 2017 to 2020, 7,435 heads of purebred animals were imported to Russia. At the beginning of 2021, 17.3 thousand heads of Jersey animals were registered in the information system, including 10.4 thousand cows. 58.9% of the livestock in the herds of the Voronezh region. belongs to small breeds of cattle with a height at the withers of 120 cm. Bulls weigh 600-700 kg, cows 360-400 kg. The animals have a wide, depressed forehead, strongly developed eye sockets, a short facial part of the skull; the neck is long, flat; the chest is deep but narrow; the withers are often sharp and high, the ribs are obliquely set, rounded; the loin is long; the rear is wide. The color of the animals is red, light brown, there are animals with a dark shade, as well as with white markings on the limbs and lower part of the body. The nasal mirror is dark, with a light ring of hair, on the inner part of the auricle and the lower part of the body the hair is light, in the groins, on the udder and limbs - dark. Jersey is recognized by many livestock breeders as one of the most beautiful breeds. Larger Jersey cows are registered in Denmark and the USA, smaller ones - in their homeland, England. In Russia, the milk of Jersey cows is widely known among producers of fermented milk products (fermented baked milk, kefir, yogurts). The high fat content of milk (from 6 to 8%) makes them indispensable for the production of high-quality and tasty butter, cheeses, sour cream. The average milk yield in the country is about 5,500 - 6,500 kilograms per lactation.[5] On farms, the fat content of milk reaches 7-8%, with a protein content of up to 4%. [6] The documented record fat content is 8.89%, and milk yields are up to 14,000 kg of milk. According to the 2020 bonitation data, milk productivity for the controlled herd of the Jersey breed was 6,217 kg of milk with a fat content of 5.90% and a protein content of 3.88%. [7] For 2022, the breed's productivity benchmark is no worse: 6,500 kg of milk, fat content of 5.8%, protein content of 3.7%. The milk is yellowish with large fat globules, so the cream floats up very quickly and forms a clear border with the skim fraction. The milk itself is velvety, it has a pleasant smell and a very delicate taste. The price of Jersey milk is usually higher than that of milk from cows of other breeds. The breed is distinguished by high reproductive characteristics. The young animals are precocious, and the first calf can be obtained from a mother who has reached two years of age. Calving is easy, complications practically do not occur, and human presence is not at all necessary during this process. The young animals are born small in size, the average weight of a calf is 22 kg. Jersey cows have an innate maternal instinct, so they should lick the calf immediately. During the entire reproductive period, the animal gives birth to 10-13 newborns, one per year. The meat qualities of Jersey cattle are low, therefore, in artificial insemination, sexed semen is used much more often than other breeds, which allows obtaining daughters of highly valuable producers. Jersey bulls are used in crossbreeding with dairy cows to increase milk fat content.