QUALITIES
The Braunvieh is:
- A medium to large frame dual purpose breed, which was developed for meat and dairy production in a 60:40 ratio.
- A breed with a good walking ability, strong legs and deep dark hooves.
- A breed with a good pigment, a well-adjusted hide which loses hair in summer and thickens in winter to ensure that the body temperature stays as constant as possible.
- A breed with a calm temperament which is well adjusted
- A fertile breed with a long producing lifespan. Cows of 13 years and older still produces annually
- A breed with an above average milk production, good udders and teats that ensure that calves grow up fast with above average weaned weight
The following points describe each component of the typical Braunvieh animal.
Colour
Colour is mid grey brown with distinct creamy white ear hair and muzzle. Males usually darker (not black) with cream areas not as pale as the female. The under body and legs are usually paler than the upper body. Young calves are silver or grey.
Consideration must be given to factors influencing the coat such as gender, climate, season, health, age and genetics. Noting these factors, the ideal coat in a mild climate should be smooth, straight and medium length. The tail has a substantial size brush being brown or darker than the main body colour.
Skin
The skin can be thick but still remain pliable. Nose, tongue and eyelids are grey to dark grey with remaining areas grey or tanned. Dewlap is more apparent on the neck than the navel.
Head
The breed is naturally horned. Polled or scurred animals are acceptable in the Herdbook, and dehorned, polled, scurred or horned animals may be shown without prejudice. The ears are larger and set more at right angles to the head with a slight droop but alert. The eyes are large and dark with a well developed eyebrow.
Overall head length is medium and not extreme in width. Muzzle is broad with large open nostrils and strong even jaw.
Neck
The neck is medium in length. A dewlap is a common characteristic in males and females and indicates skin mobility with adaptability to climate extremes.
Chest
The chest should be broad and deep. Shoulders evenly laid into the body and not extending above the spine.
Body
should show good spring of ribs and depth. A moderate navel dewlap is acceptable. Back should be strong and level to hip with a slight slope from hip to pins. Wide at pins and rump broad with well developed muscle on rump and thighs.
Legs
Front legs straight, with laid back shoulder and good spacing between knees. Back legs strong, well fleshed and good spacing between hocks. The stifle should extend well forward giving a deep flank and range of suspension in the walk. The hock should be clearly defined between the tendon and bone giving length of stride and balanced gait.
Feet
May be large but maintaining correct angle and good depth of heel while not being either turned in or out. Hooves are dark grey in colour with no light stripes.
In general, females need to appear feminine with medium muscling and particular attention to sound udder structure and capacity for which the breed is noted. Males must be masculine with well developed muscle and reproductive organs.
Varying from the ideal but acceptable
- lower eyelid may be light brown or tan
- excessive size or lack of size
- excessive fat
- small amount of white on underbelly
- rump flat with insufficient slope from hip to pin
- lack of spring of rib or flat sided
- fine bone
- bulls with a pale colour along spine
- Black Braunvieh may be registered but designated as such on the pedigree and entered in a separate section of the herdbook.
Undesirable
- bad temperament
- white tail switch
- white patches on body, face or legs
- "open eye" little or no eyebrow with no channel
- straight or protruding shoulder blade
- "post leg" too straight from the stifle to the hock
- "sickle hock" hind leg too angled with stifle
- weak pasterns with insufficient depth of heel
- hocks too close from rear view
- feet toe in, toe out or uneven
- uneven testes
- poor rump or eye muscle development
- uneven udder symmetry
- pendulous udder with weak attachment
- funnel or bottle shaped teats
These defects may be present in all groups of cattle and it should be understood that the incidence of faults in Braunvieh is quite low due to the long time selection for functional traits. The complexity of genetics includes various degrees of a trait to be exhibited, which may not be shown by simply the presence or absence of one trait. It is not all black or white, but shades of brown. This Breed Standard intends to provide a guide to assess an ideal Braunvieh animal. |
