German Fleckvieh
Fleckvieh is a dual purpose breed focused on strength and fitness whilst maintaining high milk performance. The animals adapt perfectly to all farming systems: intensive, extensive, organic. The perfect balance of the breed is ideal for the production of milk and beef. Fleckvieh provides maximum utilization of heterosis effects, ideal for crossbreeding with dairy and beef breeds.
Fleckvieh = Milk + Beef + Fitness on the highest level!
Increase profitability of your herd with Fleckvieh from Germany!
Germany has the largest Fleckvieh population of the world:
- 3.262.895 heads of Fleckvieh
- 1.120.314 Fleckvieh dairy cows
- 867.732 Fleckvieh cows under milk recording
- 728.395 Fleckvieh cows registered in herdbook
- > 300 test sires per year
Fleckvieh is a balanced dual purpose breed. Modern Fleckvieh cows convince with a high milk production and excellent components (4.2% butterfat, 3.5% protein). Apart from that, Fleckvieh cattle show high growth rates and excellent muscularity. Due to their extraordinary daily net gains and premium beef quality male Fleckvieh calves are high in demand. Producing milk and beef in one animal provides the farmer high efficiency and flexibility under various market conditions.
Average milk production of Fleckvieh in Germany:
| Number | Milk kg | Fat % | Fat kg | Protein % | Protein kg | |
| Cows under milk recoridng (MLP) | 867.732 | 7.904 | 4,19 | 331 | 3,54 | 280 |
| Cows registered in herdbook |
728.395 |
8.081 | 4,18 | 338 | 3,54 | 286 |
(Source: BRS, 2020)
Functional traits are the basis for efficient production and thus are just as important as production traits. In the German Fleckvieh breeding program great importance is attached to fitness traits. Fleckvieh cows stand out for fertility, easy calvings, longevity and persistency. They increase their milk production from one lactation to the next, which means that the young cows have sufficient time to grow and gain capacity and to develop into strong and productive dairy cows. The long productive life of Fleckvieh cows guarantees low costs for herd replacement.
Fleckvieh is a healthy and robust breed. Accordingly, Fleckvieh cows cause low veterinary costs. They have a stable metabolism due to their body mass and flat lactation curve. During lactation they are able to mobilize energy from their body reserves. When it comes to udder health, Fleckvieh cows are unbeatable – they have the lowest cell counts of all dairy breeds.
Fleckvieh is a very balanced breed that combines high milk and beef production with excellent fitness. This is not only important in economic respects but also forms the base for a healthy and sustainable food production. Modern Fleckvieh breeding focusses on healthy cows that contribute to the world’s increasing demand for healthy food. With their excellent feed efficiency and their ability to produce lots of milk and beef from basic feed they are predestined for an environment-friendly food production.
Fleckvieh cows are suitable for barn- and pasture-based management systems. They work very well in grazing systems, extensive and intensive systems as well as on organic farms. They easily adapt to different climatic and geographic conditions. With their strong and sound feet and legs they can walk long distances if necessary. In areas where the cattle are exposed to increased solar radiation, animals profit from their excellent pigmentation, especially around the eyes. The large Fleckvieh population in Germany allows us to select from a huge number of animals those who fit the best into the respective environment and climatic conditions. Fleckvieh cows are successful all over the world!
Germany has the world’s largest Fleckvieh population with more than 725.000 cows registered in the herdbook and almost 870.000 cows under milk control. The estimation of the breeding values is conducted at independent computing centers in cooperation with other European countries in order to get comparable results in different environments. The type evaluation of the cows is done by state officials, which guarantees completely independent results and keeps off any influence from economic interests of breeding companies. A precise animal identification system guarantees high data quality and a comprehensive data base.
Total merit index
Milk 38% + Beef 18% + 44% Fitness
The composition of the Total Merit Index reflects the breeding aim of Fleckvieh. It sets a focus on dual purpose.
In 2019 two projects were established in the German Fleckvieh breeding program that aim at genotyping as many cows as possible to implement a broad “cow training sample” for the breed. The genotypes of the cows are directly correlated to their performance characteristics and thus help to estimate the genomic breeding values more reliably. This applies to the already known range of traits (milk, functional traits and conformation) but also to new traits related to health, hoof care and animal behavior, for which new breeding value estimation methods are being developed.
Fleckvieh is very popular for crossbreeding with other dairy breeds and also with zebuine breeds in tropical climates. The F1 generation already is strong and healthy. In the second crossbreed generation the type comes closer to the purebred Fleckvieh type.
