What is the Braunvieh Breed? Where
did they come from? They look like Beefed up Brown Swiss?Everyone is familiar with the cows from
the Alps that are dressed with flowers and bells when they come down from
the Mountains for Winter.
Braunvieh cattle have been Purebred
and Dual purpose
cattle for Centuries!
Good sound foot, perfect udders and
stout muscle pattern are only a few of their traits. Bred for Beef, Milk and Draft..
"This is the large docile breed
associated with the scenic
Swiss Alps in Switzerland."
Photo credit Pam Grunwald taken in
Gridelwald Switzerland in Sept 1990
The celebration of the Cows in
Switzerland. Coming down from the Mountains for Winter they
parade through the town streets to their owners barns. Dressed
up with a wreath of flowers. Each breeder has his own bell tone
on their cattle bells! So they can distinguish their cattle in the
Alps or fields.
Development of the Braunvieh breed came
into its own in the 18th century in the mountain valleys of Switzerland
and production records on milk and meat performance were established in
the 19th century. Today, roughly 40% of the cattle in Switzerland are
Braunvieh and they have spread throughout the world. Due to their high
performance and adaptability, Braunvieh are used in all major countries
of the world. Braunvieh are found in over 60 countries extending from
the Arctic Circle to the tropics at altitudes varying between 0 and
12,500 feet. World population of Braunvieh is over 7,000,000 head. Herd books are being kept by breeders' associations in 42 countries.
The most asked question
directed at Braunvieh breeders is, "What is a Braunvieh?" or "What kind
of a crossbreed is Braunvieh?" "They have to be a Gelbvieh
Brahma Cross, right?" I'm sorry, but that is incorrect!
Braunvieh is not a crossbreed or a new breed developed using two or more
breeds. On the contrary, Braunvieh may be the oldest pure breed on
earth, with records dating back to 800 B.C. Recently, archeologists have
found cattle bones among the ruins of the ancient Swiss Lake Dwellers
similar to those of the present day Braunvieh. This would date these
cattle in the region to the Bronze Age.
Click on Map of Switzerland
Braunvieh in North
America
Approximately 130 head of Braunvieh were imported into the United States
from Switzerland between 1869 and 1880. This was the basis for the
development of the American Brown Swiss that was declared a dairy breed
in 1890, and therefore became a different breed. American Brown Swiss
have since spread to Canada, Mexico and throughout the world including
Switzerland. In the mid-nineteen hundreds, Original Braunvieh were
imported by Mexico where they have flourished as a beef breed. In
Mexico, they are used in a commercial capacity to upgrade the beef
characteristics of the indigenous Zebu cattle. There, separate herd books
are kept for the cattle, sometimes referred to as European type Brown
Swiss and American Brown Swiss.
Canada's first importation of
Original Braunvieh, the bull
Aron, was in 1968. Subsequently, more bulls
and females were imported directly into Canada in several importations
between 1968 and 1985. These were selected in Europe with emphasis on
beef production. In Canada, Original Braunvieh cattle are registered by
the Canadian Brown Swiss Association and are referred to as Beef Brown
Swiss. They are registered separately from the Dairy Brown Swiss. Many
breeders in Canada are members of the Braunvieh Association of America
and some of their cattle are registered in the United States.
Physical
Characteristics
Braunvieh
is a German word which translated into English means Brown Cow. Their
hair is various shades of brown, predominately mousy brown, but ranging
from light brown with gray to very dark brown. The border of the muzzle
is very light, as is the poll, and often a lighter colored dorsal stripe
is seen. The udder and inside of the legs and underline also being the
lighter shade. A darker, smokier shading is often evident around the
shoulders and neck compared to the rest of the body. The switch of the
tail is dark brown to black. The skin is pigmented, the muzzle is black,
and the hooves are dark and very hard. The calves are born very light
colored with white hair, they darken to various shades of gray to brown
when they get their new coat.
Body
weights range from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds for adult females and 2,100 to
2,500 pounds for adult males.
Steers at optimum slaughter weight are 1,100 pounds at 13 months of age.
The
Braunvieh is a very docile, long-bodied, well-muscled animal with
correct feet and legs, due to generations of natural selection in the
Swiss Alps.
Braunvieh are known as a balanced breed, possessing body confirmation
for optimum physiological performance. This and the fact that their hair
is sleek and fine in warm weather and can grown heavy in response to
extended cold weather makes Braunvieh's adaptable to different
environments.
The physical characteristic that this breed is rapidly becoming noted
for is the carcass traits that are needed to carry the beef industry
into the next century. Braunvieh sired steers have consistently hung up
top carcasses all around the country including renowned steer test like
The Great Western Beef Expo, Sterling, Colorado, the
Beef Empire Steer Test
in Kansas and Texas A&M Ranch to Rail
program.
This
is the breed to lead the beef industry into the next millennium.
Braunvieh puts it all together:
Maternal, Muscling,
Marbling, & Performance.
Typical
udder from a 1st calf heifer.
14 year
old Fullblood cow ready to calve. Still a perfect udder.
3/4
Percentage Braunvieh and Simmental heifer sired by
TLC Bud
Why do we raise
Braunvieh Cattle in Oklahoma?
I liked the
Braunvieh cattle the first time I saw them. Their color was something
different and they carried good muscle and thickness. They are easy to
handle and have great dispositions, excellent udders and can correct
about any udder problems in the first cross. They are great mothers and
wean off calves in the 550 to 650 pound range here. Braunvieh are very
functional and adaptable cattle in any region. We live in a climate
where we have a lot of high humidity and hot dry summers. We are also
in fescue country and if you know anything about fescue it has to be
managed properly or you can have lots of problems. The Braunvieh cattle
have adapted very well to the fescue and thrive on it with proper
management and good mineral. We use Vita Ferm mineral and it does the
job for us.
The Braunvieh cattle are rarely in the shade taking cover compared to
our other cattle. They have adapted very well to the heat and humidity
and it has never hurt their fertility one bit. They are good foragers
and in the heat of the day at 100 degrees and 80% humidity we have seen
our herd of Braunvieh cattle right out in the middle of the pasture
grazing and gaining pounds... Our black purebred and percentage black
Braunvieh cattle are handling the heat well too! If they work for us
here in one of the toughest area's for cattle they will work anywhere.
Braunvieh cattle are some of the toughest cattle I know. Their
udder's don't break down like other breeds I have used either. The picture to
the left middle is a 14 year old Fullblood donor cow that has bred each year
and we have also flushed her.. This says something about endurance and
longevity in the breed.. Even in our Club Calf program we are
retaining at least 25% Braunvieh to maintain a maternal female.
Albert W. Thorne
What do you get when
you use a
Braunvieh Bull on
Your Cows??
Braunvieh bulls have the unique ability to pass on usually the color of
the dam in the first cross.. If you breed them to black cattle you get
black hide, & if you breed them to Charolais or white cattle they retain
the white color, the Longhorn cross cows kept their color also... with
lots of speckles. The Santa Gertrudis cross calves looked just like
their red momma's. You may get a few tigers when you cross
them with another wild type gene cow herd. The tiger
cross cattle have been some of our best performing cattle.
They are more accepted in the south for their contribution to the cattle
industry compared to the north.
Brangus
first calf heifer with Black Icon sired heifer calf.
Black Icon is
Purebred Braunvieh. So this calf is half Braunvieh and Brangus.
She is in the TLC herd and has made an excellent cow.
This is a
half Angus- half Braunvieh cow that was 16 years old at the time of this
picture. Still a perfect udder and great body shape! Very good cattle
in anyone's herd!
Brahma X Braunvieh
Beefmaster X Braunvieh
Braford X Braunvieh
Beefmaster X Braunvieh
Char/Longhorn X Braunvieh
Half Angus & Braunvieh Cow and
3/4 calf
Charolais X Braunvieh
Angus x Braunvieh
Santa Gertrudis X Braunvieh
Santa Gertrudis X Braunvieh
Braunvieh Dominates 35th Beef Empire Steer Test
Garden
City, Kansas- Beef Empire Days, now in its 35th year, is recognized as
one of the oldest and largest beef events in the country. The
centerpiece of this weeklong program is the Beef Empire Steer Test. The
BEST actually has a steer and heifer division and is recognized as the
industry’s largest and most complete carcass competition. This year, 228
entries from over 30 feed yards were evaluated- both live and on the
rail.
In
unprecedented fashion, Braunvieh-cross calves from Alexander Ranch,
Appleton City, Missouri nearly swept the carcass competition. In the two
divisions, Alexander’s Braunvieh calves placed 1st–Heifer, 3rd-Steer,
5th-Steer, and 6th-Steer. In short, of the top 12 carcasses scored, in a
field of 228 entries, one third were from one ranch and all Braunvieh
influenced.
Alexander’s
Grand Champion Heifer weighed 1202 lbs. live, and had a 757 lb. Prime –
YG 1.53 carcass with a 15.78 rib eye and .28 fat.
“People
involved with the test are going to remember this for a long time,” says
Tim Stone of Heritage Cattle Company and 2003 chairman of the Beef
Empire Steer Test. “Especially the ‘live’ judge, he’ll be watching for
those cattle next time.” None of the Braunvieh-cross calves were placed
in the live show, but dominated the carcass division. “This is
indicative of what is happening in the industry today”, says Stone,
“people look right past these cattle, but I think any commercial
producer who is serious about carcass quality really has to take a look
at Braunvieh cattle.”
Dr. Keith
Belk, Associate Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State
University, judged the BEST carcass show. “I was extremely impressed
with the overall quality of carcasses,” he says, “but it was quite easy
to make that carcass our champion as it reflected a type of carcass that
is rather rare – a U.S. Prime, Yield Grade 1. She also generated the
best index value. After the competition I learned that the champion
heifer was a Braunvieh-cross and that the owner/breeder was involved
with a pen of carcasses that also won the National Western Stock Show
Fed Beef Contest several years ago.” (Belk was the superintendent for
that show for five years).
The
Alexander cattle were fed at Irsik & Doll Feedyard, Garden City, Kansas.
According to Ron Kramer of Irsik & Doll, “It will be hard for folks to
realize just what kind of accomplishment this is for Matt and for the
Braunvieh breed. Most of the participants in this contest are feedyards
that may pick one or two animals out of 20-30,000 head. I know one just
down the road that picked 2 out of 27,00 head. Some may have twice that
and only select one animal –trying to win this competition—and this is a
big deal to them! This says a lot about the potential of Braunvieh
cattle in our industry.”
The breed’s
repeated success in major, independent tests over the last decade have
turned heads in every segment of the industry. Throughout the industry,
the best known and the most respected quality stamp is the coveted Max
Fulscher Award given to top pens in the Great Western Beef Expo at
Sterling, Colorado. These cattle must grade 100% choice and 100% yield
grade 1 or 2. To date, Braunvieh-influence calves have won this title
three times as often as the nearest competitor; in fact, calves sired by
Braunvieh bulls have won well over a third of all the Max Fulscher
Awards given in the last decade. Their advantage in carcass merit and
performance stands undisputed.
Definitions of Braunvieh
Prefixes on Registration certificates
(OB)
Original Braunvieh (Of Pure Blood) (Females 100% Males 100%)
(AS) All
Swiss Purebred has Brown Swiss influence (Females 87.5% Males
93.75%))
(PB)
Purebred Braunvieh, bred up from any breed (Females 87.5% Males
93.75%)
(PC)
Percentage Braunvieh (Females 75% or
lower)
(SI)
Swiss Import
(SW)
Swiss Ancestor & breeder name usually followed
(NC)
Means their name was changed when new owner purchased them
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