Aubrac or Galloway

[Howard]

I am thinking about getting a breed of cattle that is good for forage systems. I've narrowed my choices down to the Aubrac and Galloway and I was wondering what would be the better choice. I live in Minnesota so the winters can be long and cold and I would like the breed to have a good disposition because my kids will be around them. Any advice will be great. thank you

Howard

 

[DOC HARRIS]

I am thinking about getting a breed of cattle that is good for forage systems. I've narrowed my choices down to the Aubrac and Galloway and I was wondering what would be the better choice. I live in Minnesota so the winters can be long and cold and I would like the breed to have a good disposition because my kids will be around them. Any advice will be great. thank you

Howard

In my experience, both breeds are qualified in response to your requirements. As with any breeder acquiring a breed or breeds with which he is not intimately familiar, you have started in the right manner in getting comments from breeders who are acquainted with the breed.

The Aubrac breed, In My Opinion, is unique in that it possesses genetics which have not been exploited in the beef industry, thereby making it optimal for Cross Breeding for Profitable progeny and problem-free operations. I would suggest that you log onto both breeds in which you are interested and get as much information about them as you can so that you have the tools at your disposal to make an informed decision. The Aubrac breed can be reviewed by going on the Internet at this link:

http://www.aubracusa.com

I know that the Aubrac breed can withstand extreme winters, as the herd with which I am familiar was here in Colorado at about 9500 feet altitude and thrived throughout severe Rocky Mountain Winters near Steamboat Springs. It is an outstanding breed! I am not personally familiar with Galloway Cattle, therefore I won't comment about them.

DOC HARRIS

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

I have some limited experience with Galloway cattle. I had a half dozen cows a number of years ago. They were quite docile and very maternal. I ended up trading them to my brother for some Angus cows. My brother runs a Galloway bull with his cows and I can honestly say that from teh point of being thick and deep, he is probably one of the best bulls I've ever seen. The only negative thing I found with them is that they have a fairly shaggy hair coat and up here, I got docked for that extra hair. As I said, though, my brother seems to do okay with them and they are certainly quiet. Anyway, hope that helps in your decision.

 

[gallowaygirl]

Well, I have no experience with Aubrac (have actually never heard of them until now) but have Galloways and absolutely love them. They handle cold like polar bears and handle the summer heat just as well as anything else (however, I'm sure the Brahmans and long eared cattle fair better in heat) The Galloways are super gentle, even as range cattle, I haven't run into a mean one yet, we just got a 1.5 yr bull, been a range guy his whole life, tied him up 3x, and I was able to lead him around. We haven't had any bull problems, no calving problems at all, and no disease or genetic problems either. We have a somewhat difficult time finding anyone near us to get breeding stock from, but in your general area there are a few breeders that are fairly large. If you are looking for more information, or people/breeders to contact, try the Galloway website.

http://www.americangalloway.com/index.php

If you have further questions, let me know!

 

[redcowsrule33]

The only exposure I have had to Aubracs was several years ago when two were entered in the local bull test. If memory serves me correctly, they both failed their BSE and didn't sell. I always postulated that they must be slow to mature but it could have been someone's bad luck, too. I guess my concern right now would be color unless you are planning on crossbreeding or feeding them out yourself as up here if it ain't solid red or black you take a hit, right or wrong.

 

[Aero]

I have registered Aubracs and registered Angus cows. I dont plan on buying any more Angus. the only cattle I am willing to purchase are Aubracs. All of my cows are currently bred to my Aubrac bull (including the registered Angus). I have found Aubracs to be the best mama cows with great udders, structure, muscling and disposition. My Aubracs have me as excited for the future as anything I know of.

you can see some pictures of some of mine at http://5barx.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t ... c&&start=0

some worry about the color but when all of the Angus are in the pond, the Aubracs are still out grazing. you can always turn the calves black, but it's a lot harder to go the other way. during the winter they really add some hair coat thickness in cold climates.

to sum up what i think of them: i'm betting my farm on them.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

I have registered Aubracs and registered Angus cows. I dont plan on buying any more Angus. the only cattle I am willing to purchase are Aubracs. All of my cows are currently bred to my Aubrac bull (including the registered Angus). I have found Aubracs to be the best mama cows with great udders, structure, muscling and disposition. My Aubracs have me as excited for the future as anything I know of.

you can see some pictures of some of mine at http://5barx.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t ... c&&start=0

some worry about the color but when all of the Angus are in the pond, the Aubracs are still out grazing. you can always turn the calves black, but it's a lot harder to go the other way. during the winter they really add some hair coat thickness in cold climates.

to sum up what i think of them: i'm betting my farm on them.

WOW Matt!

This is a sizzling Testimonial for Aubrac Cattle! If you go to the Aubrac web page - www.aubracusa.com - and scroll over to the right side of the tool bar to "Insights" and click on it ,you can read what I think of them also!

DOC HARRIS

 

[Frankie]

I am thinking about getting a breed of cattle that is good for forage systems. I've narrowed my choices down to the Aubrac and Galloway and I was wondering what would be the better choice. I live in Minnesota so the winters can be long and cold and I would like the breed to have a good disposition because my kids will be around them. Any advice will be great. thank you

Howard

Something else to consider is meat quality. You might want to do some research in that area on these two breeds since that will eventually be what you're raising them for.

 

[MoGal]

You might try posting this over on Ranchers.net and doing a search for galloway posts over there as they have several who breed them and crossbreed them.

We have a black galloway bull and he's worked very well on crossbred heifers. He's very quiet, docile, doesn't seem to get excited about anything and is easily moved to different pastures. This bull is a 5 frame and I don't want to go any smaller than that. Its just my personal preference.

He is an easy keeper, his calves are small but grow well (comparable to angus). (The lady that bred him told me that easy calving was one of her goals and he has met that.) Cold weather doesn't bother him nor does the hot humid southeast MO weather. You would think he would spend time in the pond or creek but he doesn't.

They say galloway meat is tender and its lean. I've not had any as yet.

We're breeding heifers from him to a hereford bull this year. His calves do seem to have a thicker skin and a heavier coat (though I suspect our weather prevents one from having a buffalo coat like you see many galloways have). By heavier coat, I mean its just a little thicker or longer than a shorthaired such as charolais, angus or red poll. To me its not significant enough to make a difference and the only way you really know is when you have them up in the chute and can then feel the hair (feels like nappy hair is the only way I know to describe it)