Raising grass fed and naturally grown Galloway cattle for a healthier lifestyle!
Galloway Cattle
The Galloway is naturally hornless, and instead of horns has a bone knob at the top of its skull called the poll. This breed's shaggy coat has both a thick, woolly undercoat for warmth and stiffer guard hairs that help shed water, making them well adapted to harsher climates.
Galloways are moderate in size, and along with their double hair coat, allows them to be more feed efficient, especially in the winter. They are also very thrifty on pasture and will eat a wider range of forages than other beef cattle. Galloways are naturally polled and are generally very docile. Their coats range in solid colors from black to dunn to red and white. Galloway steers need no grain to finish, they marble naturally from the inside out.
Galloway females are ideal brood stock for producers who are conscious of their bottom line. Galloway bulls are excellent sires in cross breeding programs. While other breeds were “bred up” to the point that calving difficulty became common and cows became costly to feed, Galloway breeders enjoy the following characteristics:
- Galloways calve easily and produce plenty of rich milk for their young. Calving difficulties among Galloways are almost nonexistent. Newborn calves weigh in the range of 70 to 80 pounds.
- Galloways are extremely winter hardy because of their heavy, double coats.
- Galloway breeders throughout Canada and the northern United States maintain their herds outdoors year around. Even in the brutal weather of February, 1996, Galloways thrived in the Upper Midwest, West and Canada at temperatures of – 25 to -50 F. with straight hay rations and no manmade shelter. They shed their coats in the spring, and adapt very well to summer heat.
- Galloways are economical to feed during the winter because their double coats reduce their consumption of calories. For the same reason, there is no need to fatten Galloway breeding stock to prepare them for winter. Moderate body condition is sufficient.
- Galloways produce delicious, lean and juicy steaks and roasts. An early maturing breed, they finish on pasture. No grain is necessary to achieve high select grade within 24 months of age on well managed pasture.
- Galloway bulls are docile, perhaps more so than any other breed. Once broken to halter, they remain easy to handle.
- Mature weights are comparable to other British breeds, in the 1,000 to 1,500 pound range for cows, average being 1,250, and 1,700 to 2,300 pounds for bulls, average being 1,800.
