Vorderwälder cattle
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The Vorderwälder cattle or simply called the Vorderwälder is an old domestic cattle breed that comes from the southern Black Forest (southern Germany). Like the Hinterwälder cattle, it has adapted perfectly to the conditions there.
The Vorderwälder cattle is a dual-purpose breed with roughly the same emphasis on meat and milk.
The milk yield is 5000 kg with 4.0% fat and 3.65% protein. The daily increase in young bulls in fattening farms is 1100 g.
Animals of this breed are considered to be particularly vital and long-lived. They are characterized by clear, good feet & legs with good angles and very good hooves. This means that they can also be used as grazers in extreme locations such as slopes.
The height at the withers of the cows is about 128 to 135 cm and they can weigh up to 600 kg. The bulls have a height at the withers of about 145 cm and they can weigh up to 1000 kg.
The so-called "forest cattle" was first mentioned in 1544. Even then, a distinction was made between a larger breed (today's Vorderwäldern) and a smaller breed (today's Hinterwäldern). Through cross-breeding of dairy breeds ( Red Holstein , Montbeliard ) the milk production and the udder shape could be improved considerably. The breeding population today comprises approx. 42,000 animals with 15,000 cows, 47 percent of the cows are artificially inseminated.
The breeders of this breed receive a rearing premium through the " MEKA program" .
