Thanks for the tips on the Angus bloodlines to look for. We run about a 50 cow herd. This has caused us to look for bulls that were a little older than the usual 15 month olds that most breeders have for sale. It works OK when you get the breeders personal clean-up bull and not when it's the bull that everybody picked over. In all fairness to the Angus breed, this has probably led to some poor choices, at times. I'm thinking seriously about making my own bull, I do have a couple of black cows that are still cutting the mustard, although they do thin down a little more than I'd like. I think a lot of what I'm looking for has to do with rumen capacity as much as it has to do with fat patterns. The fat gets laid down in the good times, because that rumen gets fuller of good stuff. Then, when it's snowy, and I get the round bale from under tree that I need to cut down in the bale pen that's a little darker than the other bales, or whatever, the fat gives them some buffer while the extra rumen capacity gathers more calories, even with poorer feed. Rumens with corn in them don't have to be as big/work as good or whatever. A breeder that has a grass based system automatically selects for the best rumen, whether he knows it or not. A breeder that feeds corn doesn't have to worry about the rumen, capacity wise anyway. I think this has a lot to do with why some lines are better suited to grass only. Deep bodied cattle tend to have more rumen capacity, which in turn makes them work a little better in a grass only situation, which is probably what makes me think that the Galloway body style would work for me.
Black Galloway
- Thread starter Andyva
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Rahe Family Belties
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Galloways and their crosses tend to slick off in the summer time so hair at that time should not be much of a deterrent to using them.
I have a few Beltie crosses with pix on another Belted Galloway thread if you'd like to look at some crosses on ANgus and Maine.
I have a few Beltie crosses with pix on another Belted Galloway thread if you'd like to look at some crosses on ANgus and Maine.
goddy
Well-known member
Your concern about "melting in the winter " - are you referring to a second winter or just there first winter as weaned calves ? IMO if you have to go through a second winter then maybe you don't have a) the genetics or b) the grass and management system to be grass finishing.
Only about 3 breeders of Galloway that know cattle one in Idaho, Montana and Indiana
not enough genetics in the breed to be known as a breed
I still have a few percentage Galloway with about
7/8 Angus they do work but it takes years to do that
Actually Galloway and Angus were the same breed if you study breeds history. The best Galloways ended up in Montana and the Dakotas in the 50s. But as the promotions go the Angus had more money behind them in the Midwest
and the western cattlemen were actual cowboys not playboys.
The past 30 years Galloway are basically yard cattle such as pets.
If one was to sell Galloway calves today they are sorted to odds and ends pens and usually bring lowest on sale day and weigh the least.
I saw a colored Galloway cow at a Et facility this year be lucky if she weighed 700 pounds.
not enough genetics in the breed to be known as a breed
I still have a few percentage Galloway with about
7/8 Angus they do work but it takes years to do that
Actually Galloway and Angus were the same breed if you study breeds history. The best Galloways ended up in Montana and the Dakotas in the 50s. But as the promotions go the Angus had more money behind them in the Midwest
and the western cattlemen were actual cowboys not playboys.
The past 30 years Galloway are basically yard cattle such as pets.
If one was to sell Galloway calves today they are sorted to odds and ends pens and usually bring lowest on sale day and weigh the least.
I saw a colored Galloway cow at a Et facility this year be lucky if she weighed 700 pounds.
Galloways1
Well-known member
First off, Thanks for all of the references to our Galloway breeding program. I have had black Galloway cattle since 1982. We strive to produce real world functional cattle. We want cows that work for us, and produce a quality end product. Our ultrasound results this year had bulls and heifers with REA of 1.30 - 1.65 in /CWT. These were 9 and 10 month old calves. Heifers were weighing in the 700-800 and bulls 900-1150 at that time.
Our mature bull Pericles was 2,600 lbs and 56 inches tall. Moto Moto is a frame 5 and weighs 2200 as a 3 yr old. Moto's calves are averaging 68 lbs at birth. He himself was 82 lbs.
As for the crosses and resulting haircoats: The slicker haired your cows are, the slicker the calves will be. Bloodlines in the Galloway play a big role as well. The Galloways that are being raised in Oklahoma and Texas have been selected to perform in those climates.
For our management practices our half bloods are good, but our 3/4 Galloways are better. If I was raising a herd of commercial cattle, I would run 3/4 Galloway X 1/4 Angus cows and use the terminal breed bulls to produce feedlot cattle. Unfortunately the terminal breeds in the US have tried to become Angus, diluting hybrid vigor.
Most of the semen we sell gets used in commercial Angus operations to produce replacement females, and steers that feed cheap and produce high quality carcasses. Some of the bull are sold as simply non papaered Angus, with no mention of the Galloway blood.
Much of what was said is true. There have been many "yard pets" in the recent history of the breed. This stereotype has really haunted the breed. Also true is the fact that many of the best Galloway cattle in MT, SD, WY, Neb., became Angus, Chi-Angus, or were bred to traditional Simmentals to get black simmis that could survive true range conditions.
The breed suffered because of it great bloodlines were lost.
The American Galloway Breeders Association maintains the herd book for black Galloways, and has never allowed a breed up program. Although the numbers suffered, the black Galloway is still a true fullblood. The belteds and whites are separate breeds that used Galloway blood to create their respective criteria.
The push for small framed cattle in the grass finishing industry, hurt the breed. Many of these new producers drank the frame 3 cool aid and created slow growth cattle. However, if that works for some, more power to them. It doesn't for me.
I have nothing against smaller framed early maturing cattle. These are necessary in some environmental conditions.
Sorry for rambling on.
Harley Blegen
Our mature bull Pericles was 2,600 lbs and 56 inches tall. Moto Moto is a frame 5 and weighs 2200 as a 3 yr old. Moto's calves are averaging 68 lbs at birth. He himself was 82 lbs.
As for the crosses and resulting haircoats: The slicker haired your cows are, the slicker the calves will be. Bloodlines in the Galloway play a big role as well. The Galloways that are being raised in Oklahoma and Texas have been selected to perform in those climates.
For our management practices our half bloods are good, but our 3/4 Galloways are better. If I was raising a herd of commercial cattle, I would run 3/4 Galloway X 1/4 Angus cows and use the terminal breed bulls to produce feedlot cattle. Unfortunately the terminal breeds in the US have tried to become Angus, diluting hybrid vigor.
Most of the semen we sell gets used in commercial Angus operations to produce replacement females, and steers that feed cheap and produce high quality carcasses. Some of the bull are sold as simply non papaered Angus, with no mention of the Galloway blood.
Much of what was said is true. There have been many "yard pets" in the recent history of the breed. This stereotype has really haunted the breed. Also true is the fact that many of the best Galloway cattle in MT, SD, WY, Neb., became Angus, Chi-Angus, or were bred to traditional Simmentals to get black simmis that could survive true range conditions.
The breed suffered because of it great bloodlines were lost.
The American Galloway Breeders Association maintains the herd book for black Galloways, and has never allowed a breed up program. Although the numbers suffered, the black Galloway is still a true fullblood. The belteds and whites are separate breeds that used Galloway blood to create their respective criteria.
The push for small framed cattle in the grass finishing industry, hurt the breed. Many of these new producers drank the frame 3 cool aid and created slow growth cattle. However, if that works for some, more power to them. It doesn't for me.
I have nothing against smaller framed early maturing cattle. These are necessary in some environmental conditions.
Sorry for rambling on.
Harley Blegen
WalnutCrest
Well-known member
Thank you Harley. I enjoy following guys who raise straightbreds the right way ... the ones who provide the foundation for those who need hybrid vigor.
Galloways1
Well-known member
WalnutCrest":14mx3bsk said:
Hybrid vigor is one of the reason the Galloway has seen an increase in demand. Producers are looking for a breed that is an outcross to the Angus based cowherds that are out there.
Galloways1
Well-known member
Andyva":2vn36poh said:
Thanks, we look forward to the opportunity.
Galloways1
Well-known member
Brand":24q3471m said:
The Pericles bull came from eastern Canada. He is a combination of western Canada and eastern Canada genetics.
Moto Moto is out of a Jim Grant (Idaho) bred cow, that actually goes back to some of my genetics from the 1990's.
Their is no current Scottish genetics in our bloodlines.
Many of the European bred Galloway bulls are too extreme and shallower made for my liking. We in the US have been down that road before.
Galloways1
Well-known member
Here is a picture of our herd bull Moto Moto as a 3 year old. Frame 5 bull 2,200 lbs
