Pinzgauer

The Pinzgauer cattle are medium to large, horned cattle with a strikingly long torso and a short head. They are chestnut brown with a broad white stripe from the withers down the spine, the back of the thighs and the belly up to the lower chest. The tail is also white. There are white stripes above the lower leg and normally also above the upper arm. Occasionally one can find black-white animals. The muzzle and the hoofs are dark. Animals of this breed have a good depth of the chest and the flank and an outstanding muscling of the thighs.

Winter

Direction of use

The Pinzgauer is a dual-purpose dairy breed and/or a beef breed. It can also be used for crossbreeding with beef- and milk breeds with an excellent capacity to adapt and suitability for pasturing. The highly developed maternal instinct and calm temperament of the Pinzgauer cattle make them an increasingly important breed for suckling herds.

The current breeding goal consists of 35% milk, 15% beef and 50% fitness. The goal in milk production is 6,000kg of milk with 4.0% fat and 3.5% protein.

Furthermore, great importance is attached to a high longevity, enormous resistance and health.

Statistics & Distribution

Worldwide: on 4 continents
Europe: in more than 10 countries
Austria: 39,000 animals
Breed proportion: 2%

This race is mainly spread throughout Austria and Eastern Europe. The Pinzgauer are kept as a beef breed in Germany, especially in the south east of Upper Bavaria and in the eastern states. There are individual populations, amongst others, in South Africa.

Figures

Ø Milk performance: 5,616 kg – 3.88% F – 3.27% P (305 days)

Ø Beef performance:

	Daily weight gain (g)
	200 days	365 days
M	1 137.4	994.4
F	1 054.3	863.7

Control Farms (Herds): 1,626

Height (cm, Ø): 142

Weight (kg, Ø): 675

Animals in control farms: 19,959

Registered cows: 9,493

Origin: Salzburg (A)

History

800 B.C.: Ancestors of the Pinzgauer cattle came with the Celts to today`s primary breeding area in the Hohen Tauern in Salzburg

19^th century: Origin of the breed as a result of crossbreeding cattle from Valais with indigenous Austrian breeds

The Pinzgauer was a classic three-purpose breed cattle, which was bred for milk and beef and because of its pulling strength. In the 19^th century, the breeding focused mainly on strong draught animals which were needed in agriculture.

1820: Exports to what is today Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the Austro-Hungarian monarchy it was already the most common breed

End of 19^th century: Establishment of the first breeding associations, definition of the Pinzgauer breed

1896: First Herd Book

1939 - 1945: Pinzgauer breeders lost their autonomy, restriction of all breeding activities

1950: Establishment „Working group of the Pinzgauer“

1957: Most common cattle breed in Austria

1965 - 1971: Removal of breed restrictions due to changes in the animal breeding law, the result was the use of Red Friesian blood and, therefore, an improvement in the milk yield, udder shape and milkability

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