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Danish Blue genetics refine Jersey calves for beef-on-dairy production

The Jersey breed is becoming increasingly popular among dairy farmers worldwide. However, the bull calves' lower fattening ability can be a problem. A German dairy farmer discovered the solution lies in Danish Blue beef-on-dairy sires.

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Christopher Kiehne from Birkenmoor, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, milks 70 VikingJersey cows on his 65-hectare farm. He is a fourth-generation purebred Jersey farmer, as his family has been proudly milking this breed since the 1950s.

Christopher is enthusiastic about Jersey cows and values the breed's undisputed advantages: top milk components, excellent health data, and good character.

VikingJersey cows are increasingly becoming a popular solution with German dairy farmers. However, the bull calves’ poor fattening ability is a problem for some. Nonetheless, Christopher has found and applied a viable, two-step solution to the fattening issue:

  • X-Vik sexed semen for the first two calvings and on his top cows
  • Later, Danish Blue semen specifically selected for beef-on-dairy production
VikingBeef VikingJersey Danish Blue Christopher Kiehne

Danish Blue takes calves to the next level

Calf buyers’ insufficient willingness to pay for pure Jersey bull calves was Christopher’s main motivation in seeking an alternative, which he found in the Danish Blue breed.

Danish Blue is not an independent breed but an offshoot line of the White-Blue Belgian breed. It has been specifically bred to facilitate beef-on-dairy production, where easy calvings and the guarantee of zero caesareans are crucial.

Initially sceptical, Kiehne and his wife had plenty of questions for VikingGenetics’ experts and their breeding advisor, Henrik Hansen. “My wife complained that I was going to ruin the beautiful cows with these heavy bulls,” recalls the dairy farmer.

The Danish Blue has been specially developed since the early 1970s. Danish breeders have focused on lines with easy calving performance. To this end, they only selected cows from families without C-sections and paid attention to breeding for a suitable pelvic position in females — a notorious problem area for the usual Belgian-type cows.

Additionally, Danish breeders concentrated on breeding lines characterised by a particularly short gestation period. This is because weight increases significantly in the last days of gestation, so every day saved has a positive effect in securing easier calving.

 

VikingBeef Danish Blue Jersey crossbred calf

A dusty, unused calf puller

Finally convinced that he was making the right decision, in 2021, Kiehne took the chance and inseminated the first cows with conventional semen from Danish Blue bulls.

Just to be safe, Christopher purchased his neighbour's old calf puller, which he hasn't used a single time. "I put it in this corner three years ago, and that's exactly where it still is," says Kiehne, laughing while pointing at the dusty, unused calf puller.

Approximately 30 crossbred calves have all been born without assistance, confirming that the Jersey cows' proverbial calving ease is accentuated when using Danish Blue bulls. "The calves are vital and resilient in their igloos," says Kiehne. "They have no diarrhoea, no weaknesses, and a great appetite for milk," he adds. 

The Danish Blue bull Christopher has used most is VikingGenetics' top-selling beef-on-dairy sire, VB Nase.

VikingBeef Danish Blue Jersey crossbred calf

Buyers pay a good price

The young Danish Blue crossbred calves stand out due to their pronounced double musculature, especially as the back and entire hindquarters exhibit ideal fattening traits. This is even clearer when compared with a purebred Jersey bull calf; the animals are in entirely different leagues.

However, like with any other calf, buyers need to be convinced to secure the final profit, something Kiehne says he has had no problems with since he started using Danish Blue.

The crossbred calves are charged and paid for like above-average Holstein bull calves. "The calves are a little shorter-legged than other bulls, but there have never been any negative comments from the buyers," explains Kiehne. 

In the calf passport, these calves are only defined as crossbreeds. Therefore, the animals are only assessed according to their phenotype and increased value.

In the picture: a 14-day-old Jersey bull calf besides a 10-day-old Danish Blue crossbred calf.

VikingBeef Danish Blue Jersey crossbred calf

From calf to cash in four weeks

Initially, Christopher did not see any particular urgency in using Danish Blue semen, but this has changed.

His female animals are in demand, with prospective buyers enquiring almost daily. Kiehne values selling breeding livestock, but ultimately, this branch of the business must also fit with the farms’ goals and resources.

Most recently, he was able to rear heifers at his own expense, and he took over another farm where he could house 80 additional heifers, all bred on the farm. However, more resources will be allocated to breeding Danish Blue crossbred calves moving forward.

“We had to decide whether to put the labour and capital into milk production or heifer production. With Danish Blue genetics, the calves grow into cash within four weeks, whereas with heifer production, the capital would be tied up for much longer,” says Christopher. “Because of this, choosing crossbred beef-on-dairy calves was easy for us,” he ends.

Story by: Dr. Uwe Scheper

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