galloway cattle

[Nite Hawk]

I would like to hear from people who have raised galloway cattle.
We have raised a number of different breeds and crosses in small numbers- Angus, Simmental, hereford, etc.
At this time we have a very nice piedmontese heifer, who is doing quite well.
However, I have thought about raising a few extra beef, both for ourselves and for the "grassfed" market which is quite strong in this area.
One of the reasons I have an interest in galloway is it sounds like they are a tough -survivor type cattle, and supposed to have good quality beef, and docile temperament.
Due to having a climate that can be on the harsh side of things at times thoughts turn towards galloway cattle.
I have seen them in pastures, both the small "belties" and the standard type. but never dealt with them, and would like to hear from people who have raised them and others, and hear what they think.
In the past I have spoken on the phone to the odd person who has raised them, but of course they raise them, so can only speak good about them.
There is some confusion on the size of galloways, the people I spoke to said even the standard type are smaller and slower growing than most other breeds, but the breed standard says differently.
Would like to hear comments..

 

[Muddy]

Small belties? There's some larger belted Galloways there but not very common. I didn't like smaller framed galloways (both belted and standard) because theses ones are slow growing types and most likely be hobby types. But the people are right about most Galloways being smaller or shorter than most breeds which that is why I ended up cross them to Angus to add more frame and for better daily gain. Even Blegen Galloways appeared to be shorter to me too.

As for the docility, they're quieter than your average black Angus. Ours are way quieter and I has yet culled a wild one and I constantly culled crazy or wild Angus cows almost every year. Galloways foraging better than Angus but they also stays in better shape even during droughts or when the pastures went crappy.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

I would speak with the folks at Blegen Galloways. They seem to be very knowledgeable and have good stock.


On a side note, it seems like all the Galloways I see have a certain hip structure....kind of an odd angle in the pins maybe? Just something I have noticed....

 

[Muddy]

I would speak with the folks at Blegen Galloways. They seem to be very knowledgeable and have good stock.


On a side note, it seems like all the Galloways I see have a certain hip structure....kind of an odd angle in the pins maybe? Just something I have noticed....

Shorter legs...

Belgen do indeed have good stock but I like their F1 Angus x Galloway crosses better.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Muddy, I agree about their f1s. I think what bothers me in the purebreds is the angle of the pins, they seem just too flat through the loin up to the tail head. I like a bit more angle there personally. I don't see it so much in the crosses.

 

[Muddy]

Probably it has do with the harsh environment at the native origin of the Galloways? I noticed it in highland cattle as well.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Good point Muddy! It is a similar look.
I wonder about the how/why of it in reference to breed origins and development.....

 

[Nite Hawk]

can you quantify what you mean about the odd angle of the pins?
I have noticed with a number of different breeds, traits that I don't like, at least in this area the Simmentals tend to have A frame shoulders, the herefords used to have awful udders, although I have seen a definite improvement over the years, and I could go on about different breeds.
So I am definately wondering what you mean about weird pin angle..high-low-narrow??

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Nite hawk, to me they seem a bit flat across the top of hip, like the tail head is flat and the overall angle is too horizontal. This can actaully affect how the hocks hang and make them short-strided off the back wheels. I like just a bit more of angle there, and have a bit more set to the taihead. The non-belted ones seem to be plenty wide across the top of the hip, especially ones like Blegens have.

Here's an example, just a random Galloway bull of the web...
The way his rear third is so flat on top and just drops off is what I'm noticing.

 

[Galloways1]

Thanks for the comments about our program. If you like our F1s, the 3/4 blood Galloway will blow you away. As for the pin set, some are quite sloped. I have always correlated it with calving ease. A Galloway cow can have larger calves. They typically have larger pelvic areas compared to cattle of similar frame.
Most Galloway are shorter legged. Frame 5 cows weighing 1400-1500 lbs. Our old herdsire Pericles was a 5.5 and weighed 2600 lbs. Our current herd bull Moto Moto is a 5 and is wider and deeper. Length of spine adds a lot of weight.

 

[Muddy]

Nite hawk, to me they seem a bit flat across the top of hip, like the tail head is flat and the overall angle is too horizontal. This can actaully affect how the hocks hang and make them short-strided off the back wheels. I like just a bit more of angle there, and have a bit more set to the taihead. The non-belted ones seem to be plenty wide across the top of the hip, especially ones like Blegens have.

Here's an example, just a random Galloway bull of the web...
The way his rear third is so flat on top and just drops off is what I'm noticing.

Majority of non belted Galloways just looks like the belted ones and the only wide ones have been be Belgen Galloways. To be honest with you, Belgen Galloway are only ones that is high quality in the entire breed and the only sires that is extremely heavily used would be Pericles and Moto Moto.

1/4 Galloway cows are BEST momma cows I ever had. Personally I don't like the looks of 3/4 Galloway cows, they just looks like straight Galloways.

 

[Nite Hawk]

The picture of the cream colored bull is sort of angled away from the camera, so it makes it difficult to get a proper assessment of the hind end, but the legs looks a bit "postie" on the hind end.
A frame 5 cows weighing 1400-1500 lbs- all i can say is wow!
What would you say the cutability would be on an animal of this size?

 

[Galloways1]

The silver dun bull pictured was a little post legged. He was an early 1990s model bull.
Galloway tend to yield in the low to mid 60 % range. Some bloodlines have ultrasounded 65-67% Lean meat yield.

 

[Son of Butch]

I read somewhere that well over 100 yrs ago Galloway were as popular as Angus in the USA and many thought because they had more flavor would become the dominant breed. But Angus won out and Galloway faded to being a minor breed due mostly to Angus having the highest fertility and adaptability to American livestock raising practices.

 

[ram]

The cream rises to the top.

 

[Nite Hawk]

I can see a possible "can of worms" being opened galloway vs Angus,,
I have seen VERY nice angus, but MY OPINION, is that the angus became so popular through intense marketing by famous- rich people such as past USA presidents / oil barons etc lots of dollars thrown at the breed marketing.The angus has its drawbacks which I could mention, but that is not the purpose of this thread to run down angus. I am interested in the potential of galloways for my situation.
For instance in this area Herefords are lower on popularity because the butches don't want to pay for their heavy hide, yet they can withstand the cold climate better than some other breeds. The Highlands can withstand the cold, but many of the ones that i have seen, under all that hair they are seriously lacking in meat on the body. Angus are tough, but a decent amount have serious "attitude", and take out fences ,and are lacking on the volume of beef on the the body and butt, and I could go on and on about the different breeds.
Anyways, I have been told that Galloway are slow growers and finish small, but from what I am hearing they are like a bit of a tank on legs. What kind of temperament do they have. To me temperament is very important. I realize each animal is different , but across the board what are they like??

 

[Muddy]

Nite Hawk, the Galloway's temperament isn't different from Angus. I've seen some crazy Galloways that needs to be shot. To be fair, Angus and Galloway's disposition is very similar, just depends on the people who work with these animals.

 

[Muddy]

I read somewhere that well over 100 yrs ago Galloway were as popular as Angus in the USA and many thought because they had more flavor would become the dominant breed. But Angus won out and Galloway faded to being a minor breed due mostly to Angus having the highest fertility and adaptability to American livestock raising practices.

:nod: If it wasn't for the extra hair, Galloway could be popular breed but they were meant to be a cold climate breed.

 

[WalnutCrest]

I've had a handful of fullblood Galloway and high percentage Galloway crosses here for freezer beef (although, never had anything from Blegen).

While temperaments were excellent across the board, they didn't finish as fast or yield as high or (as based on feedback from the people who buy and eat our beef) taste as good as our Aubracs. While I'm sure there are some lines in the breed that would do just fine on our fescue, I think a combination of the hair and the fescue made it difficult for the Galloways we had to fully express themselves in our pastures under our management. In their defense, they came from the mountain states and not from a local producer who had developed their herd on our grasses, in our humidity and heat. Quite possibly, in a different environment, these few animals would have handled things much better...and quite possibly, different Galloways would have also performed quite well. Galloway are solid cattle; I believe I simply didn't pick the ones I tried very well.

That's a long way of saying, beware of taking cold-adapted cattle out to heat, humidity and fescue and expect them to do awesome.

 

[ram]

Folks can raise anything they prefer, but I question the why aspect. A Hereford, Angus and lots of other breeds can do well in any environment. So why limit yourself, and why not take advantage of someone else marketing savvy?