The Tyrolese Grey cattle is a dual purpose breed of cattle. The breed is very good for both milk and meat production. It is a typical alpine cattle breed from Tyrol in Austria and South Tyrol in Italy.
The breed is also known by some other names such as Tyrolean Grey, German: Tiroler Grauvieh and Italian: Grigio Alpina. Tyrolese Grey cattle are very hardy, and they are well adapted to the hard conditions in mountain regions.
They can be used as a dairy cattle breed in difficult environment conditions, especially in the mountain areas. Because of their low maintenance, outstanding forage, vitality, robust stature, ease of calving, digestibility and functional udders with an excellent milk quality, they are also well suited for the Low Input Systems.
Currently the Tyrolese Grey cattle breed is distributed mainly over North and South Tyrol and occasionally over Bavaria. A smaller and lighter type (known as the “Rätisches Grauvieh“) can be found in Switzerland. Read more information about this cattle breed below.
Tyrolese Grey Cattle Characteristics
Tyrolese Grey cattle are small to medium sized animals with solid grey to iron-grey colored coat and a black muzzle. Darker color shades occur in the area of the shoulders, eyes and neck as well as on the outer legs. The bulls are much darker than the cows and bear a lighter colored streak along the back.
The Tyrolese Grey cattle have horns, and their horns are dark. The areas are lighter around the muzzle, the udder, the lower torso region and the inside of the legs. On average, the animals weight about 550 to 600 kg. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Uses
These animals are dual purpose. They are used for both meat and milk production. They have a very good milk and meat production performance.
Special Notes
The Tyrolese Grey cattle are very active, hardy, robust and long-living animals. They are excellent foragers, and have a good forage instinct and feed conversion.
The cows are very fast growers, and they grow up to their full size within 3 years. They have a correct fundament and hard claws. The cows are very good milk producers.
On average, a Tyrolese Grey cow produce about 4836 kg of milk per annum. Milk of the Tyrolese Grey cow has an excellent quality. The milk on average contain about 3.78 percent fat content and about 3.38 percent protein.
Their milk is used for direct consumption and for the processing of high quality products. Review full breed profile of this cattle breed in the following table.
| Breed Name | Tyrolese Grey |
| Other Name | Tyrolean Grey, German: Tiroler Grauvieh, and Italian: Grigio Alpina |
| Breed Purpose | Meat, Milk |
| Special Notes | Active, Hardy, Excellent Forager |
| Breed Size | Medium |
| Bulls | About 550-600 kg |
| Cows | About 550-600 kg |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Coat Color | Solid Grey or Iron-grey |
| Horned | Yes |
| Milk Yield | Good |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country/Place of Origin | Austria |
