What Type of Food Does a Jersey Cow Feed On?

Jersey cows are prized for their milk, whose high fat content provides a sweet creaminess to drinking milk and cheeses. These cows may need more vitamins when pregnant but they can be fed on pasture growth for most of the year. Different foods -- such as pasture grass or grain -- will lend different flavors to the produced milk. You can change the flavor of the milk by keeping your Jersey cow inside for the 12 hours before milking, or letting her out of the barn for the same amount of time.

  1. Pasture

    • There are different theories about how to manage the pastures needed to raise cattle. Cows eat grasses and whatever plants grow in wild fields. Moving the cattle from pasture to pasture every few weeks allows plants to grow back in the previously grazed field. The grasses fed on outside can lend a particularly "grassy" flavor to the Jersey cow's milk, which you may or may not want to prevent through grain feeding.

    Grain Crops

    • You can grow your own or purchase grain feed for your Jersey cow. Small grains, Sudan grass, barley, oats and corn are all options. With the tall grasses like barley and oats, the stalks can be saved for winter feeding.

    Produce

    • Jersey cows will eat any produce you give them. They can take care of any extra produce you have grown. Root and winter vegetables can also be grown or purchased for your Jersey cows. This is good winter food as they keep well. Make sure the pieces are either so large that it must be chewed, or small enough to pass through the throat without getting caught. Mangles, turnips, potatoes, cabbage and winter squash are all winter growth vegetables that can be fed to your cows.

    Nutrition

    • Jersey cows must be kept well hydrated for sufficient milking so keep a trough full of water available at all times. A Jersey cow will generally eat 2 to 2.5 lbs. of hay per day for each 100 lbs. of body weight, or one about one bale of hay per day. If you are feeding your cow grain to help with milk production, aim for 1 lb. of grain per 3 lbs. of produced milk. A cow also needs sufficient carbohydrates and proteins for her stage of life, whether she is pregnant or not. Make sure to consult a veterinarian for specific nutritional requirements.