Description

Originally from the valley of the Simme River in Switzerland, Simmental cattle are one of the oldest and most distributed cattle breeds. A part of the creation of other breeds, Simmental cattle have many desirable traits that have led to the success of many breeds in Europe. Their best traits include their use as draught animals as well as their use in beef and in dairy. With quickly growing calves, this breed is prized for its maturity.

Cows and their calves have an extremely deep, life-long bond. They lick and nibble at each other. If they are separated, they can recognise each other later on from their voice and scent.

Calves are born around once a year. It’s very important they drink their mother’s milk within the first few hours. This is a special yellowish liquid known as colostrum that cannot be drunk by humans. It contains numerous antibodies that help the calf to resist diseases. After around five days, the calf will have had enough colostrum and will then drink normal cow’s milk for around ten months until it can nourish itself exclusively from grass and other plants.