As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
This is a biological sociological update on Jerseys, named Baby Belle and Baby Daisy in some things I have noticed that are different from meat type cattle in Galloway, Hereford, Angus, Charloise and Shorthorn.
The other day, I decided to let them out of small pasture they are in, as I always do at night for safe keeping, and of course Daisy decided to blow by me like an NFL lineman, and send me flying. Daisy is someone I keep seeing as this little calf, but she has turned into a 3/4 size cow and I believe she will be full size. She can be the most sweet and delicate of waifs, and then she turns loose those 6 to 700 pounds and Lord does she playfully get her way.
She likes to goose me or nudge.
Both of them in these Jerseys miniature and full size mimic each other. If one goes bucking off in a spot, the other one will tend to do the same.
I have never witnessed bovine that love to run as much as these for pure pleasure and play. The weather was changing the other morning and both of them took off in the pen, bucking, kicking and running for some time, before they settled down to mock combat.
Combat is Belle with her too sharp horns and Daisy with her 200 pounds more weight head butting each other. I think Belle might just be close to 500 pounds now, as when full she is really solid. She will get no bigger than this, but when I think of both of them weighing as much as feathers and looking light as them, they do not seem so fragile now.
They are uncoordinated. They have been that way like children from the start. Diasy used to just fall down allot and Belle not so much, but let them resist on a rope, and they will just flip. They are getting better, but Jersey's must be more ungainly as children.
Belle's horns are something she is well aware and she uses them.We do not allow that on us, but all the same, like all cattle those horns have to come off. I can imagine with a frown what Miss Daisy would be doing with horns as that girl likes to kick to make her points.
The points are she does not like burrs out of her tail. I did poke her with a pitchfork to make my point the last time she kicked, so we do understand each other, but there is more life in these girls than other breeds of cattle.
I can not say they are more intelligent that beef cattle, as people say they are more intelligent than Holsteins, but they do not forget things once learned, like feed sack locations or how to get into or out of things.
Daisy is my girl, and Belle is TL's girl. By that I mean, Daisy will walk under my arm and follow, while Belle with me, she will go off and do her own thing in leading them to the pen. I have to put a rope on Belle and then Daisy follows. It is just one of those things in having to figure out how to make cattle do what you want them to, instead of making a problem.
I do not hit these animals, although I have swatted Belle on the butt, which in turn makes Belle decide that she is going to not let me catch her for that time. That is the thing in them, in Daisy will take 3 times to catch her, not because she is wild, but she wants me to chase her around for a bit so we have some time together.
If we had our place, away from the road, I would not have any qualms even in these yearlings wandering off. They are good girls, but do like to run, and once one starts out like Belle, Daisy is going to sprint along and that gets them places far fast. In time, I would expect them to be like our tamer beef cattle, as so much chickens in the yard, as they will stay where we put them, and come back for water or treats in expecting it.
They do moo when they want things, and that is usually the time to get back into the pen. Then we never hear anything from them. In fact, if they are fed and watered, I never know they are around, as they are that quiet.
TL likes giving them treats, and they know what TREATS are when TL tells them. I tend to not be that rewarding as I figure that they can do things without being bribed as it is a good lesson, as like horses they will stand in your pocket non stop waiting for things. But they know they get water and then TL gives a treat, and they respond like that or if TL says, TREATS they come to TL every time.
Belle when she goes into heat, does drip some blood. That is a bit more noticeable, but nothing out of the ordinary. It is just her trait. Daisy fortunately has been not so full of physical needs in looking for things......Belle will stand by the gate and moo at the other cattle who would flip her over the fence as she is so small compared to them.
Those are just some more insights into Jerseys. I do see that cattle prices are going down, so that makes them more affordable. There is no meat on Jersey cattle, unlike a Holstein, so that large dairy industry has allot of cattle of no value, as we are no longer a nation of ox carts. They should be more reasonable now for calves that are weaned, and they do seem to attach themselves to humans quite easily and well forever pets.
Nuff Said
agtG
