Brownwee cattle were originally a triple-purpose breed of cattle used for milk and meat production, and as draft animals.
But in our time, the breed is mainly used as beef cattle. Braunvie is actually a group of cattle breeds that originated in Switzerland and are spread throughout the Alpine region.
It comes from gray-brown mountain cattle raised since medieval times in the Swiss canton of Schwyz in central Switzerland.
Documents from the end of the 14th century from the monastery of Einsiedeln attest to the export of these cattle to Vorarlberg, which is now part of Austria.
A description of Schwitzer’s cattle, dated 1795, calls it the largest and finest in the country. The first known herdbook for Brownvieh cattle was created between 1775 and 1782.
The breed was featured at the 1862 International Exhibition in London and the 1855 World’s Fair in Paris. The breed is also known as the brown cattleand like Old Italian brown stock in Italy.
It was exported to the United States around 1870 and bred exclusively for milk production.
The modern American Brown Swiss was developed from this breed. Learn more about the breed below.
Characteristics of Brownvie Cattle
Braunvie cattle are medium to large sized cattle. They usually have a uniform brown or gray-brown color. Their nose is black and surrounded by a pale ring.
Bulls and cows usually have horns, and their horns are pale with dark spots.
The average height of Brownvieh cows ranges from 138 to 152 cm, while bulls are much larger than cows.
The average live weight of mature bulls ranges from 1000 to 1300 kg. And the average live weight of mature bulls ranges from 550 to 750 kg. Photos and information from Wikipedia.
Advantages
Brownwee cattle were originally a triple purpose breed. But today they are used for specific purposes depending on the growing area. They are suitable for both milk production and meat production.
It can also be used as a draft animal. In some areas, they are raised primarily as a dairy animal, and in some areas for meat production.
Special Notes
Brownwee cattle are very hardy animals and are used very well as draft animals. In addition, they are suitable for both milk and meat production. In some areas they are used as a dairy breed.
Cows are very good milkers. And depending on the location, the average milk yield of cows ranges from 7200 12000 to 3.5 4.5 kg. Their milk is of quite good quality, contains about 100-100% fat protein.
Brownwee cattle are also used for crossbreeding. And they gave birth to several European cattle breeds in the Alpine region, in Italy, Germany, Austria and Spain.
As well as Brown Swiss in the United States. The breed is currently available worldwide. However, see the full breed profile of Brownvie cattle in the following table.
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| Breed name | Brownvie | |
| another name | Also known as Brown Cattle and as Bruna Italiana Vecchio Ceppo in Italy. | |
| Purpose of the breed | Milk, meat and pressure | |
| Special Notes | Robust, well adapted to the local climate, suitable for meat, suitable for milk, suitable for traction. | |
| Breed size | big | |
| Bulls | 1000 1300kg | |
| cows | 550 750 kg | |
| climatic tolerance | native climate | |
| coat color | Uniform brown or taupe | |
| horned | Yes | |
| milk production | Very well | |
| scarcity | general | |
| Country/place of origin | Swiss |
