Personally I would not start with Jerseys. They are not hardy at all. Especially for a beginner. Where are you thinking about getting them from?
Well I'm not really a beginner. I've been around cattle my whole life. I work at a few livestock market but these are coming off a farm in Northern Kentucky.
I like Jersy cattle. I raise bottle calves year around. Profit is alil less but they are very enjoyable. Go jersy!
There's not much of a problem in raising Jersey Calves as long as you know how to manage them, as you say you grow up around livestock so it wouldn't be that much of a problem.
Hi personaly i would definitely not use jersey cattle for beef. They are not hardy and do not fatten. They are naturally a very skinny breed of cattle and u will make very little on them. Maybe they are a nice pet but if u want to make money i would not recommend them. Maybe try some thing like charlaois,limousine,angus, herford,simmental crossbreds they are all very common beef cattle where i come from (ireland) we have a lot of anguses and some charloas suckler cows although charlaois do not have alot of milk u will still make good money on them. I am a very big fan of simmentals, i think they make a great suckler cow. They are easy calving (in my experience) good for beef and have plenty of milk. I would not recommend jerseys. Most breeds that are used for dairy are not good beef cattle (there are a few exceptions)
This all depends on wat is valuable in ur area. Jersy in my area are very desired. They kinda pricey.
The highest marbling propensity breed in the usa is Jersey. Red angus is 2nd. Black angus is 3rd. 1 of thee best cows for big range Tough Western Country is 1/4 Jersey x 3/4 Angus. Granted it's tough to outrun the Wagyu cross and Corriente/criolla cross, or Salorn cows too.
Dairy calves are okay to start with because your initial investment will be smaller. Beef bottle calves are high right now. Keep plenty of nuflor or draxxin around. You need a relationship with a vet to get the good stuff. Good luck