Original Pinzgauer

Original Pinzgauer cattle, one of the last native breeds in the Alpine region, offer hardiness and adaptability thanks to being bred in the Alpine's challenging natural environment. With a pronounced maternal instinct and good-natured temperament, Original Pinzgauer cows are also very popular in suckler cow herds. The meat of this breed stands out for its remarkably high quality, fine texture, juiciness and good marbling.

Breeding purpose

a typical Pinzgauer cow with perfect double-purpose features

Thanks to its excellent adaptability and suitability to pasture grazing, Pinzgauer cattle can be used as a milk-focused dual-purpose breed and/or meat breed as well as a utility crossbreed with meat and dairy breeds.

Pinzgauer cattle have a medium to large frame, with a strikingly long rump and short head. They are chestnut brown with a broad white stripe from the withers along the back, down the backs of the legs and along the belly to the lower chest. The tail is also white, and the hooves are distinguished by their dark colour and hardness. Pinzgauer cattle have white bands around their lower thighs and often their front legs too. Occasionally, you will come across black Pinzgauer cattle, which are very much in demand. A genetically polled variety known as “Jochberger Hummel” is becoming increasingly popular in suckler cow herds and dairy cattle breeding.
Pinzgauer cattle have good depth of chest and flanks and pronounced thigh muscling. Centuries of breeding under the most difficult conditions has sculpted Pinzgauer cattle into a particularly hardy and robust breed. Today, this breed is found in more than 30 countries worldwide.
Pinzgauer cattle currently presents as a performance-oriented dual-purpose breed that is of interest for both milk and meat production thanks its broad genetic variance.

Statistics and Distribution

Region	Number
Worldwide	across four continents
Europe	in more than 10 countries
Austria	38,350 animals
Breed Share in Austria	2%

This breed is mainly found in Austria and Eastern Europe. In Germany, especially in the south-eastern part of Upper Bavaria and in the eastern federal states, this breed is kept as beef cattle. Scattered populations exist in South Africa, Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, among others.

Parameter	Value
Ø milk production	5.500 kg – 3,80% F – 3,27% P (305 days)
Ø daily weight gain (g/200 days)	M: 1.118, F: 1.004
Control farms (herds)	2,300
Height at withers (cm, Ø)	142
Weight (kg, Ø)	675
Herdbook cows	9,700
Origin	Salzburg (AT)

Historical Development

Time	Event
800 BC	Celts first brought the ancestors of Pinzgauer cattle to the Upper Tauern region near Salzburg, now the primary breeding area for this breed.
19. Jhdt.	Origin of the breed through crossbreeding between domestic Austrian land breeds and cattle from the Valais. Pinzgauer cattle used to be a classic triple-purpose breed kept for milk and beef, as well as for use as a draught animal. As late as the 19th century, breeding was primarily aimed at producing stronger draught animals farmers could depend on.
1820	Exports to modern Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. By the Austro-Hungarian monarchy era, Pinzgauer cattle had already become the most common breed of cattle.
Ende 19. Jhdt.	Foundation of the first breeders’ associations, definition of the Pinzgauer breed.
1896	First herdbook.
1939 - 1945	Pinzgauer cattle breeders lost their independence. Restriction of all breeding activities.
1950	Foundation of the Pinzgauer Working Group.
1957	Still the most numerous single breed in Austria.
1965 - 1971	Removal of breed restrictions by an amendment to animal breeding laws. This resulted in the introduction of Red Friesian lines, which improved milk production, udder shape and milkability
2016	Rearing losses, new total merit index
2017	Estimated breeding values for beef and genetic conservation breeds.

Breeding program

Further information on the breeding program and the breed can be found at: www.pinzgauerrind.at

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