The Jersey Breed
The very distinctive and rather charming Jersey cow has become the 2nd most popular dairy cow in the world. The average registered pedigree Jersey cow in the UK now produces 6024 litres of milk per year with a butterfat content of 5.46% and protein of 3.83%, with the best individual animals yielding around 9000 litres or higher. Jersey milk is in many ways unique. As a product it contains:- 18% more protein, 20% more calcium, 25% more butterfat than average milk. The Jersey Cattle Society of the United Kingdom keeps the national herd book and promotes the breed.
Chapple Herd Foundation
Our pedigree Jersey herd was founded in 2018 with the purchase of heifers and young cows from three well known pedigree herds: Quintrell Jerseys (Cornwall), Sunnydawn Jerseys (Devon) and Hollesley Jerseys (Somerset). In milk cows were added from various pedigree dispersal as well as surplus heifers from other well known breeders in the south west.
Herd Expansion – Spring 2022
We expanded the milking herd from 120 to 200 with the addition of 80 crossbred dairy cows. This allowed us to increase our average milk yield per cow, keep milk quality (fat and protein) at a high level and to start to produce some beef calves that will have greater commercial value.
Herd Expansion – Summer 2024
With a plan to switch from conventional to robotic milking during 2025 we started to build our herd towards 300 with the addition of in calf pedigree Jersey heifers from the Bluegrass (Hertfordshire), Morebridge (Devon), Lutton (Devon) and Hayvalley (Cornwall).
Robot Start Up – April 2025
Robotic milking commenced at the start of April 2025 and we bolstered numbers with further herd additions from Hayvalley (Cornwall), Whitenhill (Devon), Gwella (Cornwall) and towards the end of the year a top-up from Halen (Wales).
Farming System
- Predominantly pedigree Jersey cows.
- An increasing proportion of crossbred cows (R&W Holstein out of Jersey).
- Voluntary robotic milking system (DeLaval V300s).
- Maize and grass silage available at the feed fence year round plus extra feed to yield whist being milked.
- Smart grazing gates installed to facilitate grazing in the summer for months.
- Rearing our own replacements (pedigree Jersey and first cross R&W Holstein out of Jersey).
- Bottom performing 75% of the herd served to beef (Hereford, Angus, Charolais) and sold as calves to be reared.
Milk Supply
We are proud to supply our milk to Saputo UK (formerly Dairy Crest) for manufacture into cheese and butter at Davidstow.
