Jersey cows enjoy a spot of pampering – watch the video

Andrew Le Gallais is just one of the Island’s dairy farmers who has invested in cattle brushes – equipment which scratches the animals backs and heads whenever they require some TLC.

Set up in the cowsheds, the brushes, which resemble those usually found in car washes, are triggered when a cow gives them a nudge.

Mr Le Gallais, who normally has around 180 cows on his farm, explained: ‘Cattle brushes, or back scratchers have been around for a while now and I bought the equipment over when I did my new farm building.

‘I bought my two cattle brushes from Holland – they are the world leaders in the field of animal welfare.

‘The brushes work on a pivot mechanism and as soon as the cow gives it a nudge it turns for about three minutes and the cow stands underneath it while the brush turns. They require very little maintenance.’

Commenting on the technology, Mr Le Gallais said: ‘The cattle brushes cost between £600 and £700 each – some kinds are more expensive than others. ‘Some rotate vertically, whereas mine hang horizontally.

‘You’ve got to have them away from the feed and water trough, as dust and lose hair come off the cows while they are being brushed.

‘They are very popular among the Island’s dairy farmers.’

Mr Le Gallais said that his two cattle brushes are so popular that he may consider buying more.

‘Cows are girls, so they enjoy a bit of pampering,’ he said. ‘And Jersey cows are the most inquisitive there are.

‘They just love it. They take it in turns to tootle around and get their backs scratched and some put their heads under to be scratched too.

‘It keeps the cows clean and they really enjoy the experience.

‘It’s just a nice thing to have in the shed – this equipment wouldn’t have been made if they weren’t popular with the cows.’

Video courtesy of Jersey Dairy

• The small, docile Jersey cow with its rich milk became noticed by dairy farmers in England, in the era that the so-called agricultural revolution was transforming farming and livestock breeding into a science.
• During the second half of the 1700s many cattle from Normandy were shipped to Jersey, to be sold on to English markets after being pastured in the Island for a few months. Being sold on as ‘Alderney’ cattle in England, they escaped the excise duty on cattle from foreign countries.
• In 1763, pressure was put on the States to stop this illegal trade, and it responded by banning the importation of live cattle from Normandy into Jersey, imposing heavy fines to discourage infractions.
• However, the law was not observed by some farmers engaged in this lucrative trade. It needed four more acts passed – the last in 1878 – before a stop was put finally to it.
• As the 19th century progressed, even cattle sent over to English shows were not allowed to return, and the trade of live animals within the Channel Islands was also prohibited.
• These laws – still in effect – have proved to have many benefits to the breed in the Island. It has served to isolate them from bovine contagious diseases and most importantly, it has enabled the breed to develop its purity and strengths.
• Island farmers have concentrated on developing their cattle from the limited local population, and their skill ‘fixed’ the special characteristics of the Jersey, resulting in the breed we see today. But the origins of this strong, pure bred Jersey cow remain unknown.
• The late president of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau, Anne Perchard, believed that the breed’s characteristics of early sexual maturity, fine bone, thin skin and tolerance to heat means that at one time it had been bred specially to enable the animals to thrive in a hot, semi-tropical climate.