Meet Bernard Munga, he is 83 and a dairy farmer in Gachie.
Munga is one of the beneficiaries of the breed in a project run by Fleckvieh Genetics Ltd.
“I was introduced to the new breed about four years ago. Today I have five of the cows and do not regret. I cannot compare the new breed with the cattle we rear. The breed has high immunity against diseases, produces high-quality milk, matures faster and eats less. In my farm, I crossbred Friesian and Holstein to end up with two bulls, which at two years old are weighing about 300kg each. ”
Munga crossbred the second time and got a heifer, which is producing 25 litres to 30 litres of milk a day compared to ordinary breeds, which produce between 15 litres to 20 litres.
“I started rearing cows in 1972. I am now planning to switch entirely to the new breeds. Veterinary and feeds costs are low, leading to better earnings. ”
Dr Anthony Gichohi is a veterinary and general manager at Fleckvieh Genetic. Fleckvieh do well in all climatic conditions and can be crossbred with any breed. He says in Kiambu, there are over 1,000 farmers, who are rearing Fleckvieh. He said he had ten years’ experience with the breed abroad and described them as strong, robust cows with good legs and resistant to diseases.
Gichohi says, Fleckvieh bulls, are masculine with good general muscle development particularly on forearm, shoulder, eye and hindquarter. They have no excess fat particularly around the tail and head. Under intensive fattening conditions, young bulls reach daily gains of more than 1.5kg with a slaughter age of 16 to 18 months and can reach a slaughter weight of between 350kg and 450kg.