Renowned for the quality and natural goodness of their milk, Jersey and Guernsey cows originate from the Channel Islands, though their ancestry is thought to stretch back to cattle from Normandy and Brittany in France.

Rich in colour, flavour and protein, milk from Jersey and Guernsey cows is high in butterfat which
makes it ideal for producing dairy products like cheese, butter and ice cream. It's also full of
nutritional minerals and trace elements.

Choose a breed below to find out some fascinating facts about our pedigree friends...

Facts About Guernsey cattle (Photo top right)
Facts About Jersey cattle (Photo top left)

Facts about Guernsey cattle

• A medium sized Guernsey requires less feed than the larger Holstein, yet converts feed
  into more protein and butterfat per unit of body weight
• The Guernsey performs well in southern, northern, hot and cold climates. Her fawn or red
  and white coat enhances her heat tolerance and reduces heat stress, enabling her to maintain
  production levels anywhere
• Guernseys perform well in both housed and grazing situations
• The Guernsey is an excellent grazer and is a cow that has been developed for pasture
  based milk production
• Guernseys are very popular for crossbreeding purposes
• Guernseys can be bred to calve at arond two years of age
• Guernseys live and produce longer
• The Guernsey is extremely docile. Dairy farmers all over the world confirm that her moderate
  temperament and disposition make the Guernsey one of the easiest breeds to work with
• Guernsey milk contains 12% more protein, 30% more cream, 33% more vitamin D, 25% more
  vitamin A and 15% more calcium than average milk

Facts about Jersey cattle

• The Jersey is relatively small in size - about 400 to 450kgs in weight
• The Jersey’s hard black hooves are much less prone to lameness
• The Jersey can now be found across the world with a large population in countries such as;
  Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, South Africa, the USA and Zimbabwe,
  as well as here in the UK
• After the Holstein the Jersey is the second most popular specialist Dairy breed world-wide
• Jerseys thrive under both extremes of temperature - they can grow thick coats in very cold
  climates, whilst suffering from much less heat stress than the other dairy breeds
  in hotter regions of the world
• Despite her small size the Jersey is renowned for its ease of calving, allowing it to be
  crossed with the larger beef breeds
• Studies carried out in Denmark show the Jersey to be less prone to many diseases
  than other dairy breeds
• Scientific studies also show the Jersey cow produces milk more efficiently than other breeds.
  This can be especially important in countries where feed may be restricted
• Jersey milk is in many ways unique. As a product it contains; 18% more protein, 20% more
  calcium and 25% more butterfat than average milk
• In both the USA and South Africa the Jersey is the only breed increasing in numbers
  due to the demand for its high quality processing milk