The breeding allow to combine the production of high milk quality as well as beef performance and help to maintain the general specificity of the Hérens breed.

Milk performance

Taking into account the hard management conditions on the high alpine pastures, milk performance aims for 3500 kgs per standard lactation (240 to 305 days) with an average fat yield of 3,9% and an average protein yield of 3,5%. An ideal teat shape and position is important to make the mechanical milking of the cows possible.

Beef performance

The Hérens cows must have good size and musculature to ensure good yields of carcass and a excellent quality of meat.

With regard to a high carcass yield and an excellent carcass quality, the Hérens animals must have a good depth and width combined with a well developed muscling. According to the moderate size of the breed, daily weight gain aims for about 1100 grams must be reached.

General abilities

The typical breed specific traits like resistance, health, vivacity, longevity and calving ease must be maintained.

The Hérens breed is an alpine breed and is characterized by high resistance, excellent adaptibility with very good capacity for roughage consumption. Due to these specific traits, Hérens animals are able to handle the shortage of forage on the high alpine pastures during summer time.

Comments

Today an increasing number of breeders wish to keep the Hérens cow as a suckler breed and this new management type requires partial redefinition of the breeding aim.