Registration
Animal identification is the heart and soul of making a profit in today’s dairy business. But just giving an inventory number to each cow won’t unlock the full profit potential. For the power to maximize lifetime profitability you need the American Jersey Cattle Association.
Animal Registration
Registration creates a permanent database record of the Jersey animal’s identity and ancestry. The information is basic and the process of submitting information for registration is simple. Applications can be submitted by using paper forms for single or multiple animals (located under the documents section on this page), through infoJersey or in batch electronic files downloaded from herd management software and processed by herd services.
Required information +
To start we need to identify the animal and we can do that by one of two (2) ways.
- Tags: calf identification in both ears with Allflex tamper-evident ear tags approved by the association. These tags will display a unique American ID number, the premise ID and state of origin, and herd management number.
- Tattoo: one or both ears may be used. The tattoo must include one letter and be accompanied by a letter. They cannot exceed a total of seven (7) letters or numbers in each ear. Letters (I, O, Q, and V) may not be used unless accompanied by another letter due to readability.
The following information is required to complete a registration application
- Sex of the animal
- Name of the animal
- Date of birth
- Animal's permanent identification (approved tag or tattoo)
- Artificial insemination information applicable
- Embryo or clone information if applicable
- Name, stud code, or registration number for the sire
- Name or registration number of the dam
- Signature and customer number for the first owner
How much does it cost to register? +
The cost of registering your animal can vary depending on membership status, age, and how they are submitted. Some processing methods require more staff time than others and are priced respectively. Please see the Programs and Services Fees document provided in the documents section on this page.
We offer special transfer pricing when an animal is transferred (1) to another immediate family member or (2) to or from a partnership, provided all living animals in that ownership are transferred at the same time.
Upon death of the breeder, all of his/her registered Jerseys become property of the estate. A special fee applies still when ownership is transferred from estate to heirs, provided all transfers are made at the same time and signed off on by the executor of the estate.
Helpful Registration Tips
An accurate record keeping system is critical in a successful dairy operation. A record-keeping system can vary from computer databases or spreadsheets to special printed herd forms or a herd managements software.
A practical system quickly provides up-to-date basic information and is kept permanently in a safe place. A good system will include identification of dams, identification of service sires, service dates, birth dates of the calves and their permanent identification (either tattoo or Association-approved ear tags). You should also have a binder in which to keep the registration certificates.
When parentage of an animal is in doubt, the identity of the sire and/or dam can many times be determined by DNA parentage qualification. Please contact our herd services department for more information.
We all make mistakes after all we are human. When registration certificates are returned to you after processing, please check carefully to be sure all names, dates and numbers are correct. If an error has been made, the certificate will be corrected at no charge if made within 60 days.
If a tattoo or eartag is incorrectly recorded on an animal’s registration certificate, a correction form should be submitted with the certificate to the AJCA.
No two (2) animals of the same sex in the same herd may have the same tattoo or herd management number on an tag. If this occurs please do one of the following:
- If the animal has the same tattoo as another in your herd, you must add an additional letter or number in the ear of one side and report it to the AJCA as a tattoo correction.
- If the animal is identified by tag but has a duplicate herd management number, simply contact the AJCA and we will order replacement tags for one of the animals that will retain the registration ID but change the herd management number to a unique ID.
Recorded names are limited to a total of 27 characters and spaces. This includes all prefixes (JX, UR) and or suffixes (-ET, -P, -PP) that may be required in the animal name per AJCA registration rules. Special characters will not be accepted.
Our suggested naming system is to allow the first name to be the farm’s name or your reserved prefix. The second is the sire’s common name. The third is the cow family or barn name, which can start with the same letter as the dam’s name or use the tattoo.
All naming must be a one-of-a-kind, so please provide a second choice name.
There are two approved methods of permanent identification (Rule II, Sec. 2, Rules for the Registration and Transfer of Jersey Cattle). These are tattoo in the ear, and Association-approved tamperproof eartags.
For Animals Identified by Tattoos
All calves identified by tattoos must be tattooed before leaving individual pens or ties:
One or both ears may be used.
No two animals of the same sex in the same herd may have the same tattoo.
Tattoos must include at least one letter and one number. The letters I, O, Q and V may be used only if accompanied by an additional letter in the same ear, or approved by the Executive Secretary.
Tattoos may not exceed a total of seven letters and numbers in each ear.
It is the owner’s responsibility to maintain a valid and legible tattoo in the ear of each animal owned. When a tattoo becomes faded, the owner must re-tattoo the animal in the same ear with the same tattoo.
For Animals Identified by Eartags
Prior to leaving individual pens or ties, all calves identified by eartags must be identified in both ears with Allflex Tamperproof™ Ear Tags approved by the Association’s Board of Directors. These tags will include (1) an American ID number; (2) the state of origin; (3) and herd management number.
No two animals in the same herd of the same sex may have the same herd management number. It is the owner’s responsibility to maintain eartags in both ears of each animal owned, and when a tag is lost, the owner must contact the Association and order a replacement tag.
If you use the tattoo option for permanent identification our voluntary tattoo program encourages accuracy by following these steps:
- Select any letter (except I, O, Q, or V). Number calves consecutively from 1 to 999, the number preceded by the letter you have selected. For example, if you select M as your letter, the tattoos will read M1, M2, M3, and so on.
- Put the same tattoo in both ears. In case the tattoo should fade in one ear, the animal can still be positively identified from the tattoo in the other ear.
- After you have tattooed number 999, select a new letter and start over, beginning with 1.
Applications for the registration of animals resulting from A.I. may be accompanied by a breeding receipt, or the owner must certify to the accuracy of service information, accepting full responsibility for damages resulting from inaccurate breeding information
Bulls from whom semen is frozen must be listed with the AJCA and be parentage verified with their living non-parentage verified parents before progeny resulting from A.I. may be registered. Please refer to the Artificial Insemination Requirements for Jerseys located under the documents section or contact herd services for more information.
Twin births must be identified. There are two boxes on the application. Check the box indicating whether the animal is a twin with a bull or a twin with a heifer. Females born twin with a male cannot be registered until proven to be fertile.
Naturally polled Jerseys are also identified. If the calf doesn’t grow horns, check the appropriate box. In order for a calf to be registered as polled, at least one of its parents must be registered as polled.
Jerseys resulting from an embryo transfer (ET) must be identified with the suffix, ET. All donor dams and service sires are required to be parentage verified with the AJCA. Ransom blood typing, at the owner’s expense, is required for one out of every 10 female ET calves. Contact the herd services department for more embryo requirements.
If mixed semen is used, all resulting calves must be parentage verified at the owner’s expense before they can be registered. Breeders wishing to use semen pooled from two or more sires when super ovulating donor dams MUST contact the Herd Services Department before breeding for approval of sire combinations which will result in progeny distinguishable as to sire.
Jerseys registered in Canada should be recorded with the American Jersey Cattle Association when imported to the United States. The fee is the same of U.S. Transfers, however a $10 fee will also be assessed to add then transfer the animal from the U.S. database. The Canadian export duplicate is required to process the application.
Generation Count Recording System
How does the generation count work? +
The generation count recording system provides identification and step-wise progression to herd register (HR) status starting with females that have only one known parent recorded by the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA).
Females are to be recorded at all generation counts. A generation count {1} is assigned to a female that has one known parent (sire or dam) recorded by AJCA and the other parent either completely unknown or of another breed. If both parents are unknown the animal may be qualified for recording through genotyping. The numerical designation for progeny will increase by one (1) from the generation count of the sire or dam whichever is lowest. i.e. (sire {2}, dam {4}, resulting calf {3}).
Bulls may be recorded starting at generation count {5} with stipulations that the bull is genotyped and has a Breed Base Representation (BBR) of 100 and the sire and dam have been genotyped.
Progeny of generation count {6} parents have a HR status and will not have a suffix in the registration names. However when an unknown animal or animal of another breed is introduced into the animal’s pedigree, the generation count will be reset to {1}.
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