Brown Swiss

براون سويس

Draft: needs vet review

Type: Cattle
Region: Switzerland
Main use: Milk, meat
Known for: Strong, heat-hardy

This information is general. For doses and treatment, always ask your vet.

About

Strong, heat-hardy

Real photos are coming, each with the photographer's name and license.

Benefits & uses

Milk, meat

MeatMilk

Food

Roughage base (berseem, silage, hay, straw); concentrate by milk yield. Lots of water, shade in summer.

Common vaccines

FMD, lumpy skin disease, three-day sickness, haemorrhagic septicaemia, blackleg, brucellosis.

Draft: needs vet review

Water and general notes: Water: 50-100 liters per day, and lactating cows 100-150 liters in the summer. The roughage should not be less than 40% of the dry matter so the rumen works properly.

Feeding by stage and goal

Stage	Weight / goal (kg)	Intake (% of weight)	Ration protein (%)	Energy TDN (%)	Daily ration example
Suckling calf (0-3 months)	40-90	-	18-20	75-80	Colostrum about 4 liters in the first 12 hours, then milk 10% of its weight (4-6 liters) in two meals, and starter and water from the first week. Weaning when it eats 1 kg of starter per day for 3 consecutive days.
Post-weaning calves (3-6 months)	90-180	2.5-3	16	70	2-3 kg concentrate + ad libitum good hay.
Fattening	200-450	2.2-2.5	12-14	70-75	For a 300 kg calf: 4-5 kg concentrate + 2-3 kg straw or 8-10 kg silage. Gain 1-1.4 kg/day (Hybrid and Friesian), and Baladi 0.7-0.9.
Heifers (6-15 months)	180-380	2.5	13-14	65	2-3 kg concentrate + berseem or hay. Mating at about 60% of the mature cow's weight.
Dry cow (last 60 days of pregnancy)	450-650	1.8-2	12-14	60	Roughage + 2-3 kg concentrate, and in the last 3 weeks increase concentrate gradually. Reduce calcium according to the vet to prevent milk fever.
Lactating cow	450-650	3-4	16-18	70-75	For a 20-liter cow: 8-10 kg concentrate + 20-25 kg silage + 3-4 kg hay, or 30-40 kg berseem. Common rule: 1 kg concentrate for every 2-2.5 liters of milk.
Breeding bull	700-900	2	10-12	60	Roughage + 3-4 kg concentrate.

Concentrate mixtures (parts per 100 kg)

Mixture	Additives	Salt	Limestone	Molasses	Cottonseed meal	Soybean meal 44%	Bran	Yellow corn	Approx. protein
Calf starter	1 بريمكس	1	2	3	-	28	20	45	19%
Fattening	0٫5 بريمكس + 1 بيكربونات صوديوم	1	2	3,5	-	12	20	60	14%
Lactating	1 بريمكس + 1 بيكربونات صوديوم	1	2	3	10	20	22	40	18%

Sodium bicarbonate reduces rumen acidity with high concentrate. Increase concentrate by half a kilo every two days until you reach the required amount.

Vaccine and care calendar, from birth to sale

Age / timing	Action
Day of birth	Colostrum within 6 hours, disinfect navel with iodine, tagging.
2-3 months	First deworming.
3-4 months	FMD (and booster after a month), Lumpy Skin Disease.
3-6 months	Hemorrhagic Septicemia and Blackleg (and booster according to vaccine), 3-day sickness two doses a month apart.
3-6 months (heifers)	Brucella within the government program.
Every 6 months	FMD.
Annually	Lumpy Skin Disease, 3-day sickness before summer, Hemorrhagic Septicemia.
Every 3-6 months	Deworming and tick control.
3-6 weeks before calving	Calf scour vaccine for the dam, as per the vet.
Before sale, slaughter, or selling milk	Make sure the withdrawal period for the last medication has passed.

Common diseases

Disease	Signs	What to do	Prevention
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)	Fever, salivation, sores in the mouth and on hooves, drop in milk.	Isolate, vet, report.	Vaccinate every 6 months.
Lumpy Skin Disease	Fever and nodules under the skin all over the body.	Isolate and vet.	Vaccination, control of mosquitoes and flies.
3-Day Sickness	Sudden high fever, lameness, recumbency, and usually improves in 3 days.	Vet, water, and shade.	Vaccinate before summer.
Hemorrhagic Septicemia	Fever, swelling of the neck, gasping, rapid death.	Vet immediately.	Vaccination.
Calf Scours	Diarrhea, dehydration (sunken eyes), weakness in the first weeks.	Oral rehydration solution immediately and vet.	Sufficient colostrum, hygiene, dam vaccination.
Milk Fever	Cow is down after calving, cold extremities, unable to stand.	Emergency: vet immediately.	Proper dry cow nutrition.
Mastitis	Hot and swollen udder, milk contains clots.	Vet, and milk should not be sold during the withdrawal period.	Milking hygiene, post-milking teat dipping.
Rumen Acidosis	Diarrhea, lethargy, off-feed after a sudden large amount of concentrate.	Vet.	Gradual introduction of concentrate, bicarbonates, sufficient roughage.
Blood Parasites (from ticks)	Fever, anemia, sometimes dark urine.	Vet immediately.	Tick control.
Bloat	Swelling of the left flank, difficulty breathing.	Vet immediately.	Don't offer wet or very young berseem in large quantities at once.