If you’ve ever seen a cow that you initially mistook for a deer it was probably a Jersey cow. With their large doe-like black eyes, small size and delicate build, and light brown coloration, Jersey cattle are one of the loveliest breeds of cattle around. The breed comes from the island of Jersey, one of the British Channel Islands and is an ancient breed, having been on the island for 1,000 years and a pure breed since 1763. Today, Jersey cattle are one of the most popular breeds of dairy cattle, renowned for their rich milk containing a high percentage of buttermilk and protein. This, along with their tolerance for cold and heat, gentle disposition, small size, and long period of productivity make the breed especially popular on small family farms and homesteads.
Many figures of this breed exist, and I was originally convinced that I would buy CollectA’s until I came across Schleich’s figure in my local Tractor Supply. The Schleich Jersey cow is new for 2024 and although I’m trying to expand my cattle collection beyond Schleich their cattle are generally excellent and seeing them in person makes them hard to ignore.
Shleich’s Jersey cow measures about 5.5” (13.97 cm) and stands 3” (7.62 cm) tall at the shoulder. Actual Jersey cattle stand about 4.5’ (1.3 meters) at the shoulder and average between 900-1,500 lbs. (408-680 kg.). That puts the figure at 1/18 in scale.
Like all Schleich’s cattle this one is presented in a static pose with the head looking leftward. This presentation is getting repetitive, but it also makes displaying these cattle together easy. Still, I need to branch out from Schleich’s cattle if for no other reason than diversity in presentation.
Anatomy and details appear spot on. The face is broad and dished and the head polled (hornless), although Jersey cattle can have horns and they’re small and curved inwards when they do. The overall build is somewhat delicate and angular, which is especially noticeable in the protruding hips. The shoulders and spine also protrude somewhat. A fine coat of hair is etched into the sculpt and other fine details include a patch of curly hair on the top of the head, veins sculpted into the udder, furrows around the brow, and wrinkling where the neck is turning in on itself.
The figure is fawn colored with a lighter-colored underside. Although this is the most common color seen in Jersey cattle, they can be any shade of brown, gray, or dull black (known as mulberry). Any color can have white markings and whatever the color it always blends into a lighter shade underneath. The eyes and nose on the figure are black and shiny and although the muzzle is pale it would have been preferable if Schleich had included the light-colored band that the breed typically has. The inside of the ears, switch on the end of the tail, hooves, and a portion of the forelimbs are black. The udder is pink.
I am quite happy with my Schleich Jersey cow and if Schleich keeps releasing cattle figures of this quality then I think you can expect more Schleich cattle on the blog in the future. The Schleich Jersey cow is currently in production and retails for about $8.99.
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Ah you did settle on Schleich’s. I guess it makes sense when you can see them in-hand at a store and select the piece you want. I went with CollectA’s most recent, but had it not been produced, I would have gotten this Schleich one for sure!