Fleckvieh Cattle Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Fleckvieh cattle breed was originally a breed that was used as draft cattle and for its meat and dairy. Today it is quite widely used for its meat, milk and for cross-breeding purposes. The breed is a good selection for both dairy and meat of which it produces a good quality of both. The bulls have a very fast growth rate and their carcasses present as lean.

FLECKVIEH BREED OF CATTLE QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
The Fleckvieh is a good choice as both a dairy and meat breed giving good quality and yields of both
Country of Origin:	Austria
Other Names:	None
Main Purpose:	Meat and milk
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Can be used for	Breed, Meat, Milk, Draft
Ideal Climate:	Heat, Cold, Most Climates
Conservation Status:	Not listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity: Not at risk
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Cattle?	Novice to intermediate Cattle farmer/keeper level
Cattle Associations:	Fleckvieh UK, American Simmental Association, The Fullblood Simmental Fleckvieh Federation and Fleckvieh Society of Australia
Cattle Clubs:	Please check with the various cattle associations as listed above for more information on the Fleckvieh cattle breed.
Where to buy them?	>Please refer to the Fleckvieh UK, American Simmental Association, The Fullblood Simmental Fleckvieh Federation and Fleckvieh Society of Australia for more information on the Fleckvieh cattle breed.
Child Friendly?	Livestock should not be left unattended around unsupervised children
General Information:	The Fleckvieh cattle breed is a very adaptive breed of cattle that can withstand most climates and does not mind mountainous environments. Due to selective breeding, the Fleckvieh has an excellent quality of milk components with reduced somatic cell counts. They also have fewer milk fever issues than most other breeds. The Fleckvieh have been known to have a better calf survival rate than most other breeds and an easier calving. The Fleckvieh breed of cattle is the second largest cattle breed in the world with around 41 million Fleckvieh cattle worldwide. They are valued for their milk, meat and other top-quality by-products making them very economical animals. Especially as they can be kept in all production systems around the world.
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The Fleckvieh has a very well conformed body with the cows having a squarer profile and straight back to a natural neck line. They have medium length if not slightly short compared to their body sized, legs and a small face with a straight profile to their fawn colored noses. The bull has a more rounded and muscled physique with a slight hump between his small rounded head and shoulder blades. He has a small tight dewlap and short stocky legs.

Size:

Medium to large

CATTLE ⇒	COW	BULL
Breed Color:	Red/chestnut pied with white markings on their legs, under belly and a white face	Red/chestnut pied with white markings on their legs, under belly and a white face
Breed Weight:	700 to 800 kgs	1100 to 1300 kgs
Breed Height:	140 to 150 cm	150 to 165 cm
Horns:	Can have but are mainly polled or dehorned young	Can have but are mainly polled or dehorned young
Temperament:	Docile and easy to handle	Docile and easy to handle
Matures at age:	6 to 8 months or 9 + months	6 to 8 months or 9 + months
Puberty Age:	6 to 15 months	9 to 1o months
Breeding Age:	13 to 15 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	See Cow breeding & Milking Info	Cover 25 to 30 Cows in 1 season

COW BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION
Most Cattle produce milk but not all of them are used in the dairy Cattle capacity for their milk. Cows only calve once a year and should have 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. They are really good milkers, mothers and have a good maternal instinct. They are easy birthers with basically little to no birthing problems. They are well known for the ease of birthing and strong calves.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 6 to 24 hours Most ave. 12 to 16 hours Cows usually come on heat every 21 days.
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days to 24 days Heifer – usually ave. 20 days Cows – usually ave. 21 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 279 to 287 days but most gestation is 283 days. Cows that are carrying bull calf’s their gestation period is usually a little longer than cows that are carrying heifer calves.
No. Calves/Litter:	1 calf at a time. Cows rarely have twins or triplets, but it can happen
Lactation Period:	Cows lactation period can last for up to about 10 months (305) days.
Milking From:	1 to 6 weeks after Calving
Drying off Period:	The cow should have a 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. Drying off period for around 60 days before she can calve again.
Milk Quality:	Good ,Butterfat = 4.29%, Protein = 3.7% Quantity: 6000 kg – 1st lactation 7000 – 9000 kgs thereafter per Lactation period
Milk Ideal for:	Calves, drinking, cheese, butter, and other dairy products
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CATTLE MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Fleckveih cattle offer a very good meat quality with their calves having a very fast growth rate enabling them to produce at a younger age. With good carcass and dress out percentages. Leaner meat with less fat proportions, tender and tasty.

Meat Production?

Yes, Quality: Good

CATTLE ⇒	VEAL	BEEF
Ave. Maturity Age:	6 to 8 months	9 months up to 4 years

CATTLE SKIN PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Most meat Cattle will have a skin by-product, and these are usually used in some form or just as a hide. The Fleckvieh can produce a high quality of leather by-products from their meat production from calf skin to normal cow skin leathers.

Skin Production?

Yes, Quality: Good

Skin is used to Produce:

Calf/cow skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, handbags, belts, furniture, rugs, etc.

CATTLE ⇒	CALF	ADULT
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months for Calf skin	1 to 2 years old for Normal leather

HISTORY

The Flecvieh cattle breeds lineage is from the cross-breeding of local stock to that with Simmental cattle that were imported from Switzerland. The breed was developed by the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Bavaria in around 1830.

It was originally developed as a breed that was used as draft oxen, meat and milk cattle. But today it is used primarily for its milk and meat.

The word Fleckvieh loosely translates to “Spotted cattle”. The first documented exports of the breed outside of Europe were in 1893 to Namibia. There were no other documented exports until around the 1960s where there was a “beef boom” around the world.

The Fleckvieh were imported into America in 1968.

Today the breed is prevalent in many countries throughout the world including Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Peru, Uruguay, South Africa, North America, Canada, etc.